Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox
by Pasta Masta
Summary: Christmas is a nice time of the year, especially when it acts as a prelude to, well... you'll have to read on to figure that out. Be warned: there is a tiny portion of suggestive themes in this. Yeah, I bumped the rating up, just to be safe. Please R
1. The Joy Of Shopping

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox  
**  
Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Here's a few words from the author: Well, my first fic, and it's a Christmasy Starfox fic. So, phone up your ex, call your Father/Mother, deck the halls, and enjoy reading possibly the worst fic you've ever set eyes on.

The Great Fox, 8:30 a.m.

Christmas is a time of joy, a time when people spend time with their family, and friends. Certainly not a time to be running around the galaxy, Fox thought irritably. The Great Fox was heading towards Corneria, however, it was a week before the big day.

Peppy was sitting in his chair, reading a book, a steaming mug of coffee in front of him, while Falco lazily strode in, to grab a bite to eat. No one seemed to ever wake up before Peppy, and it puzzled the avian to see someone of Peppy's age out of bed before any of his more youthful comrades.

Falco poured coffee into his mug, and began looking in the fridge. "I thought I told Krystal to pick up some more-oh, we do have eggs. Hey, Krystal! Could you make some breakfast for me and... " Falco glanced at Peppy, "do you want some, gramps?"

Peppy sighed, then nodded. Falco continued, "... breakfast for me, and Peppy. Oh, I suppose Fox and Slippy'll want some, and you."

The vixe slowly entered the kitchen, rubbing her eyes in the process, "Yeah, good morning to you, too, Falco". Krystal turned towards the stove, and bumped into Fox, "Oh, excuse me. Good morning, Fox." Fox just looked at her, and smiled, "Morning, Krys."

By this time, Slippy had wandered in, got some coffee, and looked at Peppy, "How long until we reach Corneria, Peppy?".

The hare looked up from his book, "We will enter Coneria's atmosphere in 7 hours, aproximately."

Slippy frowned, " We're gonna have six days to prepare for Christmas; man, this is going to fun." he answered sarcastically.

"Hey, thank General Pepper for giving us a mission in December, Slippy." Fox said, Falco shrugged, "At least we're going home.".

Sargasso Station, 1:30 p.m.

Panther went to the hangar, and saw Wolf working on his Wolfen, "How's it going, Wolf, are you almost finished?"

"Yeah, yeah... no thanks to that pup." Wolf growled. Panther crossed his arms, "Stop being grumpy, Wolf, have you forgotten what time of the ye- " Panther noticed Wolf glaring at him, and stopped. "Right, I'll be in my quarters, if you need me." Panther stated, "Hmph, well, Merry Christmas, Mr. Scrooge." Panther narrowly dodged a 'flying' oily rag.

The Great Fox, 1:48 p.m.

"Do we have to do our Christmas shopping tomorrow?" Falco complained

"Yes, Falco. If we wait any longer, the mall will be insanely busy. You don't want that, do you?" Falco sighed in defeat, "you win, Fox, I'll make sure I get a good sleep, tonight.

Fox looked at Krystal, and grinned, slightly "So, are you looking forward to your second Christmas, Krystal?"

The vixen got up from her chair "Of course, Fox..." she softly blushed "...I think I got the hang of it, last time."

Fox thought back to the moment he and Krystal unknowingly met under mistletoe, and Krystal didn't know what it was. Fox hesitantly explained what it was, and it's purpose, to which Krystal quietly giggled, and sat down beside him, on the bench.

Krystal noticed Fox's momentary inability to look at her, straight in the eyes, and his face appeared to have a crimson glow, so she put a hand on his cheek, and Fox slowly looked at her.

Krystal shook her head, "We have more important things to think about, Fox", then she looked at the time

"We'll be home in an hour..."

CCM (Central Corneria Mall), 10:05 a.m.

Falco's eyes widened, "This place just opened five minutes ago, and there's already a cascade of people in here!"

"You act like it's surprising, Falco" Slippy grumbled. Krystal was enjoying all the lights, and decorations, Falco just crossed his arms "They sure don't hold back with decorating"

Fox turned, and walked in a different direction "I'll meet up with you guys later, alright?"

Everyone continued going forward. Slippy spotted the store where he was going to, but it also happened to be where Falco was going to go, however, the store was big enough for them both to roam around, without bumping into each other.

"Let's see..." Falco was looking through the video games, which were in alphabetical order, "... Ah, here we go! Inter-Space Conquest II."

Falco knew that Fox really enjoyed the first one, and heard about a second one, and had much interest in playing it. Falco headed to the counter, and put the game on it. A white feline looked at the game, then at Falco "That'll be $59.99, sir." he said, and Falco handed the cat his credit card.

"Would you like this in a bag?" the feline asked him, "Yep" Falco answered cooly, and left the store, carrying the bag.

Falco and Slippy met up with Krystal, in front of a water fountain, "Where's Peppy?" Slippy wondered, "He already picked up his things, and headed home." Krystal told them, "Lucky..." Falco whined.

Fox had just left a Souvenir shop, when a passerby collided with him, "Oh, sorry" Fox quickly excused himself, "Watch where you're goin'" a familiar, gruff voice threatened.

"Hey, wait!" Fox called, and the person stopped, and turned around and both Fox's and the "stranger's" eyes went wide, "Ugh, McCloud!" sneered the very familiar face of a certain grey lupine.

Fox had an incredulous look on his face, "Wolf!? What are you doing here?!

Wolf narrowed his eyes, "None of your business." he mumbled. then crossed is arms, "I ask you to stay out my way, and we run into each other at a mall." Wolf snarled, " But it's Christmas and we're standing in a packed mall, so I obviously won't kill you, today."

Fox rolled his eyes, "Merry Christmas, Wolf." Wolf expected some hostility, so he was kinda dumbstruck

"Uh, yeah..." Wolf drawled, "You, too..." Wolf paused, and walked off. Fox just stared, "Holy crap." he whispered, and he swore he saw a small bag hanging from Wolf's grasp.

"Yeah, that'll be three." Falco told the disinterested looking coyote.

The coyote yelled behind him, "Three strawberry-mint swirls!"

Slippy and Krystal waited for a minute, then Falco brought their drinks. "All this shopping tires a guy out; how do you females put up with it, Krystal?" Falco asked, and Krystal held up her beverage, then smirked, "One or two of these, and we're fine." Slippy coughed.

Starfox's Cornerian base, 5:24 p.m.

Peppy was watching the snow falling out of the living room window "They're not done, yet?!" Peppy exasperatedly exclaimed, "Kids these days..." He grumped.

Just then the front door swung open, and Fox entered, then Slippy, Krystal, and Falco.

Krystal shook off some snow, and shivered slightly, "Cold out there?" Peppy chuckled.

"What the...? Slippy, close the door already! Fox commanded, "Aye aye, captain.". "Wow, you still do that, even when you're not working." Falco teased,

"Falco, it was for all our sakes." the vulpine retorted.

"What took you guys so long?" Peppy inquired.

Fox put his jacket away, " Some guy was getting mugged, three days before Christmas, can you believe it? Of course, I had to do something; poor fellow... oh yeah, I also bumped into Wolf O'Donnell.

Slippy froze "W-what?!", Falco looked at Fox "You saw O'Donnell? Where?"

Fox told them what happened in the mall, and how about there was a lack of 'confrontation'.

"He actually returned the gesture, somewhat?" Peppy questioned, "Yes. Needless to say, I was shocked." "_He would've been too, if I had my blaster with me_!" Fox thought, "Fox!" Krystal shouted, "Huh? Yes? Oh, right, you're telepathic. I was kidding, anyway." Fox half-lied.

"Well, it's good to have gotten that shopping done with." Falco sighed, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room."

Falco wandered down the hall, and Slippy followed. "Falco, could I see your blaster?" the toad asked.

"Oh, yeah, it was kinda wrecked during that fight on Zoness..." Falco pulled it out of his utility belt's holster, and handed it to Slippy, who deeply sighed,

"Falco, this serious damage! It won't be a simple fix, that's for sure."

"Then you'd best get started, toady." Falco flatly commented.

Slippy smiled, "You bet, Falco. She'll be all fixed by tomorrow."

Falco blinked, was the Christmas season affecting the amphibian _that_ much? Maybe Slippy was plotting some deformed Christmas surprise for him.

Falco pondered this.

Author: Well, I figure there's no need for me to waste my time writing more, if people don't like it. So I'll see what y'all think of it, before I dare continue; sound good? See ya!


	2. Good Tidings

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: Pasta Masta

A few more words from the author: Yes, here is the second chapter, w00t. Anyone who reads this must be in a jolly mood, or Santa will spank them. Aside from the fact that Santa's fake, I think we are (whoever 'we' is) ready for the next chapter.

Starfox's Cornerian Base, 11:42 a.m.

He turned the corner, and saw Krystal hanging a reef from her quarters' door, she then spotted Fox approaching.

"Oh, I just thought I'd make things a little more festive, what do you think, Fox?"

Fox tilted his head, "Um, you had to put a nail in there to hang the reef on, didn't you?" Krystal grinned "That's right."

Fox hesitantly nodded "It looks nice..." "_This place isn't ours to be driving nails into the doors."_ Fox moaned.

"Is everything alright?" The vixen asked him. Fox quickly shot his gaze to her "Yes, of course it is! I was just thinking of how nice that lo..." Fox mentally kicked himself for forgetting that Krystal was a telepath, "Uh, nothing. See you around, Krys." Fox quickly strode off.

Krystal knew something was off, and intended to find out just what it was. While she was trailing Fox, Krystal almost walked into Falco, " Whoah, whoah!" Falco moved to the side.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Krystal? Is Fox being difficult, again?" The avian smirked.

"Why must he be like this, Falco?" Krystal huffed, " Ha. I'd like you tell me, when you find out." He crossed his arms (again) "I'm sure you'll figure him out." Falco winked.

Krystal put her hands on her hips, "That was un-called for, Falco." Falco innocently stared at her "What? What'd I do?"

Sargasso Station, 12:14 p.m.

Wolf peered in the doorway to see it was empty, so he silently crossed to his quarters. He went into his closet, and set the bag on the highest shelf

"I'll deal with these later." he murmured .

Wolf thought it was strange for the leader to get gifts for his team, but he figured it made up for the lack of celebration around their Birthdays, but still...

As he flopped on the couch in the living room-esque area, he was approached by a bored looking Leon.

"Panther seems to enjoy Christmas a whole lot more than myself, or you for that matter." Leon started twirling a knife in his fingers.

"There's so much we could do right now, but no, people would rather waste their time having a 'fun' time with friends, and such." the chameleon spat.

Wolf looked at his mug of hot cocoa, "Er... yeah, this Christmas stuff is a joke, eh?" He agreed.

"Hark, is that Christmas cheer, I hear?!" Panther hollered from the kitchen, then opened the fridge "What? No eggnog!?"

Wolf shook his head, and left, but Leon just twitched his tail in annoyance. "I'm sure there are more important things to spend our money on than eggnog, Panther."

"If only your heart was warm for this season, at least, O' cold-blooded one." Panther sighed.

Starfox's Cornerian Base, 2:23 p.m.

"Fox!" at last Krystal had found him, he was watching Slippy doing something to Falco's mangled blaster. She found herself interested in what Slippy was doing, as well.

She cocked an eyebrow "What're you doing, Slippy?", the frog stopped his working for a second, and looked at Krystal.

"I'm just, fixin' up Falco's blaster!" he grinned, they had no clue what he was planning to do to it...

"Why don't you just give him a new one?" Fox inquired, "Two reasons." Slippy said.

"One, he loves this one, and would rather wait for me to repair it, instead of buying a new one.

And two, blasters aren't the cheapest things, don't you know?" Fox never seemed to remember that they didn't have infinite cash. He then turned to Krystal.

"So, what's up, Krys?" He pleasantly asked. "Oh, um, oh yeah. Fox, what happened earlier?"

Fox had to think "Ah, when you were putting up that decoration, right? She nodded "Well, it undeniably looked good...

Fox furrowed his brows "I was only a little... concerned about what Rhonda (the landlord) would think of you putting a nail into one of the doors."

Krystal was stunned "Oh my gosh! I totally wasn't thinking!" she smacked her face with her hand "What am I going to do about it, Fox?"

Fox laughed a little "Krystal, it's **one** door, and I doubt it'll be that big of a deal, I'm just saying that you should try doing it differently, next time."

Krystal let out an embarrassed laugh "Right, right... "

"I gotta say, Krystal, I could learn from you." Peppy smiled.

Krystal turned to face him "Oh, hi Peppy." she sweetly remarked, but then her grin slowly faded "What do you mean by that?"

"I was referring to how 'into' the season you are." The hare replied "Oh." Krystal beamed.

"I don't know why everyone else doesn't seem as glad about Christmas as I am...?" Fox turned to her "I think you have a point there, Krys."

Placing her hand in his, he continued "I mean, heck, we were given time off because of this holiday, we ought to be a bit happier... "

Fox grinned, and Krystal did the same "Oh, Fox... " she whispered, in a slightly seductive manner " I agree with you, entirely!"

Fox gleefully shook his head "Haha, I'll catch you later, Krystal." he quickly pecked her on the cheek, and left.

Krystal placed her hand on her cheek, and sighed "I love Christmas... "

Peppy was grinning to himself, as he walked to the hallway to their quarters _I never saw James do this with Vixy, then again... _he chuckled, and decided to check on Falco.

Peppy knocked on Falco's door, to which he heard "Come on in, old man!" Peppy frowned, and the door slid open.

"Hey, what do you want, Pepps?" Falco paused his video game, and looked at him.

Peppy crossed his arms "Well, I was wondering if... you could put your game down long enough to give me a hand baking some Christmas items... "

Falco narrowed his eyes "Why me? I'm not what you'd call a master cook or whatever, Peppy." Peppy straightened his glasses.

"... No reason, you're just the only one here, who isn't busy doing something else." _What about my game? _Falco grumbled to himself, but the bird decided he would help the old hare "Dang, I just beat the sixth level, too... " he turned off the game console, and gave Peppy an irritated look.

"Alright Peppy, let's get it over with." He sighed.

Sargasso Station, 6:41 p.m.

Panther brought out his communicator "I should wish Krystal a Merry Christmas." He reasoned, this made Leon roll his eyes "Hey, she went back to that Fox, Panther. She doesn't need you harassing her, anymore."

Panther huffed "Giving a fair acquaintance/ex girlfriend good tidings is NOT harassment, Leon." "Tell her Star Wolf misses her... " Wolf mumbled.

"... Uh, I meant, er... " Wolf did a double take, then coughed "Go ahead, Panther... " Panther raised an eyebrow, and slowly lifted the device to his mouth "Krystal? Krystal, this is Panther." he said "_Panther? What are you calling for?_"

Panther froze "I... just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas." "_Oh, well, Merry Christmas to you, Panther..._ " Panther smiled

"It was heavenly to hear you say that, my dear... " he purred "_Um, yeah, right. Uh, see you later, Panther._"

Author: Just to let people know, there is no real plot here, just whatever my deformed mind thinks up! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! cough Anyhow, I hope chapter 2 wasn't too much pepper in your eyes, and, yeah.


	3. Cookies And Cocoa

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Another word or two from the author: Time for the third chapter, I suppose.

Sargasso Station, 7:43 p.m.

"Oh give me a break, that was semi-successful, Panther." Leon sarcastically patted Panther on the back.

"She was just waiting for a chance to hang up, Leon." Panther sobbed, "What do you expect, Panther?" Wolf flatly stated.

"You've been hitting on her, more so since she went back to that Fox... " Wolf's tone slightly darkened for a moment, then he added "Had it not been almost Christmas, she'd probably hang up, right away."

"Thanks for your words of encouragement, Wolf." Panther grumpily replied "It makes sense for a guy with no girlfriend to give 'girl' advice to one who actually has had a relationship with a female aside from his mother... "

"Careful Panther, I'm still your leader." Wolf snarled, "You forget that you've known me for a only a few years. Point is, I've had my share of (short lived) relationships, and I probably know more about dames than you." Wolf growled.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I didn't come in here to discuss me, Wolf's, or Panther's love lives..." He then turned his head in Panther's direction, "... Or lack of one." the chameleon finished with a small grin.

"Uh, but Leon... " but Leon had disappeared down the hall.

Then Wolf spoke "Panther. It's finished between you and Krystal; lick your wounds... " Panther rolled his eyes "... and move on, for us all." Wolf then headed to the Hangar.

Starfox's Cornerian Base, 10:36 p.m.

"No, Bill, I don't need to hear about what you did last night... Yup, Merry Christmas to you, too." Fox ended the transmission.

He heard a knock at his door, and turned around "Come in." and the door slid open, followed by Krystal entering the quarters.

"Ah, good evening, Krystal." Fox warmly greeted her, "What are you up to, Fox?" She asked.

Fox grinned "Bill was just saying hello. Say, do you smell something?" Fox's nose twitched, and Krystal nodded, "I smelt it as I was coming here, shall we investigate?"

"Yeah, let's go." Fox said, and they headed to the kitchen.

"Hey, Falco! You can pull the last batch of cookies out of the oven." Peppy hollered, "I'm on it, Pepps." Falco answered.

"Cookies?" Krystal and Fox stared at each other, "I had no idea you were so handy in the kitchen, Falco." Fox smirked "Laugh it up, McCloud. Peppy asked me to help him, what was I supposed to do?"

"No, I'm glad you made them." Fox defended "We just can't have a good Christmas break with some sweet finger foods, you know?" Fox raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah yeah, glad to have completed your holidays." Falco huffed, "Mm, these are good, Falco, I'm so glad you made cookies." Krystal picked up another cookie.

"Sure, give _him_ all the credit." Peppy took a seat beside Krystal "None of this would've happened without me, by the way... " The hare reasoned, "Thank you, Peppy." Krystal gave him a little hug.

"Your blaster's almost done, Falco." Slippy interrupted "Oh, oh yeah, that's good to hear, Slip." Falco shrugged, "So, was it really that hard to fix?

"Okay, Falco, nothing is hard for me to fix, well, almost nothing... " Falco lazily gave him a thumbs-up, "_Especially after that job I did"_ Slippy thought, and smiled evilly, but no one saw this.

"Oh!" Slippy spotted the huge plate of delicately made, fresh Christmas cookies "I've earned myself a few of these, me thinks." the toad reached across the counter, and grabbed a few of the baked goodies.

"See you guys later." Slippy called, and everyone half-heartedly waved. Slippy entered his little workshop, "Alright, Falco's really gonna enjoy you, isn't he? Yes he is." Slippy chuckled. Slippy grabbed Falco's blaster, and carried to the kitchen.

Slippy looked in the kitchen "Hey, where'd Falco go?" Fox put his cocoa down, "He went to the practice range, Slippy." "_Oh really? Ha, that's just perfect..._ "

Slippy walked into the recreation room, and saw Falco aiming a blaster at a green lizard-shaped target "Hey! Falco!" Falco put the blaster's safety on, and placed it in his holster, then he looked over to see who was calling his name.

"Oh, hey. What do want, Froggy? Can't you see that I'm kind of busy?" Falco crossed his arms, "I've got your blaster here, Falco." Falco cocked an eyebrow "Oh, it is? Okay, could you hand it over?"

"Sure." Slippy said, "Here you go."

Falco turned the safety off, and aimed his blaster at the target, and just as he was about to pull the trigger, an automated voice interrupted him.

"GOOD EVENING, MISS KATT MONROE" "WHAAAH!!" Falco quickly let go of the blaster, and it fell to the floor, "Wh-wh-what in Lylat was that?!" Falco stammered.

"I thought you said you fixed this, Slippy!" The avian accused, "I did!" Slippy seemingly panicked.

Falco glared at Slippy, and then the blaster. He picked it up, again, and it was normal, so he decided it was just some weird, momentary glitch. He sighed, and aimed it at the target, again.

Falco squeezed the trigger, but instead of green lasers penetrating the heart of the target, there was a bright pink flash, followed by pink laser fire, "EEEK!! Slippy! Why are the lasers PINK!!?" Falco was steamed.

Slippy faked surprise, and shrugged "I have no idea; it was fixed, I swear! You must have goofed it up, somehow... "

Slippy took the blaster from Falco "I'll reverse what you did, Falco, okay?" Falco just grabbed the other blaster "Yeah, whatever Slippy".

Slippy was quietly talking to himself "Man, that was CLASSIC! I love ticking off that bird, ha ha ha ha... " he figured it served Falco well, after that prank he pulled earlier this year. Slippy still shuddered at the thought that day's 'event'. He still remembers how white his face became when he found that fake canine turd in his toolbox, man was Falco laughing, that incident scarred Slippy for a long time. He's still a little hesitant to open that toolbox, at times.

Fox saw Slippy in the hallway "Hey, Slippy, what was all that yelling we heard... is everything fine?" Slippy was contemplating telling Fox about his epic prank, he'd probably find it humorous as well.

Slippy couldn't hold it in any longer, and he told Fox what just took place "Oh, that would have been HILARIOUS!" Fox laughed, "Slippy, you just made Falco's Christmas break one to remember, congratulations!" Slippy smiled "Was it really _that_ good?" Fox's face lit up "Of course it was! I really wish I was there."

"Well... " Slippy began "The cameras in that room should have it." "AWESOME!!" Fox's life was pretty devoid of entertainment, it seemed, and he couldn't wait to watch that tape.

Sargasso Station, 9:13 a.m.

Wolf's quarters smelled like wrapping paper, and tape "_I wonder if this should come out of their cheques... _" Wolf thought, "Naw, I shouldn't be such a scrooge; those guys had better appreciate this, though."

Wolf locked his doors, and concealed himself in his quarters, just him, the gifts, and the wrapping paper; Irene was nowhere to be seen, wait *looks at the guy with the script*... scratch that last part.

Panther was walking down the hall, and saw that Wolf's door was shut, so he decided to see what Wolf was doing.

Panther went to the door, and knocked on it "Hey, Wolf! Could I come in?" he waited, "Not now, Panther, I'm busy." Was the response.

Panther was wondering what Wolf could be doing, "_I'm sure I'll find out, in good time._" he thought

"Um, okay, I'll catch you later, Wolf?" Wolf just grunted, and Panther decided to take that as a 'yes'.

"...Right." Panther mumbled as he went to Leon's quarters, but Leon opened the door just as Panther came, and traveled to the washroom. Panther tried to get Leon's attention, but Leon was going at too fast a pace.

Panther was just leaning against the dull gray walls, twirling a rose between his fingers out of boredom, "Say Leon? Have you noticed Wolf behaving in a strange manner as of recently?"

Leon didn't even look away from the television "No, Panther, I have not, why?" he asked calmly

"I don't know, he just hasn't been himself lately... " Panther was thinking about Wolf's previous actions, and how there was a mug in his hand, before. "_Why would Wolf be having coffee at noon? Unless..._ " Panther gasped

"Wolf wouldn't be drinking coffee at 12:00 p.m., so that could only mean...!" Panther was astounded "He was drinking hot cocoa!"

"What are you going on about now, Panther?" Leon muted the LCD screen embedded into the wall, "Oh, er... nothing, Leon, sorry to have disturbed you... " Panther apologized.

Author: So Slippy does have a little attitude, huh? Where did Falco learn to bake, or did Peppy just tell him what to do? Why did Heath Ledger O.D. on pills? What does Falco think of Katt? What did Bill do the other night? Wait and see, people.


	4. The Good, The Bad, And The Date

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Some more yapping from the author: Well, well, well! First of all, thanks to those who faithfully continue to read this poor excuse for a fic, and I raise my glass to you! Once again, this fic has no predestined storyline, and all progress depends on what happens in my severely messed up brain. So, here's the fourth chapter, and have a pleasantly pleasant 2009.

Sargasso Station, 1:20 p.m.

"That's right! If you call right now, you'll save an additional 15% off the already discounted price!! But these deals won't be here forever, so don't hesitate! Just ac- " Leon turned off the television, annoyed, he was so tired of all the ads.

"And people call _us_ thieves... " the chameleon rolled his eyes.

Leon slightly grinned, despite himself, "I wonder what Wolf would think of that 'famous' quote of his, being used in an advertisement...?"

But Panther found no humor in what transpired, instead he was frowning as he saw a tin of instant hot chocolate in the cupboard, "We have the cash for getting this stuff, but we aren't able to get eggnog... " he grumped.

"What's _your_ problem?" Leon asked Panther, in an impatient fashion.

"Look at this, Leon." Panther grabbed the tin out of the cupboard, and held it for Leon to see, "Do you ever drink this?" Panther's eyes narrowed.

"Nope. I guess Wolf likes it." Leon lazily answered.

"Exactly!" Panther exclaimed, "But I was under the impression that he wasn't interested in anything to do with the holidays." "So? He probably just saw it on the shelf, and figured he'd pick up a beverage he enjoys." Leon simply responded.

"Leon! Put two and two together! He's obviously hiding something...!" Panther placed the instant hot cocoa back in the cupboard.

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Leon inquired, "If he has something in store for us, let it be surprising. It's probably nothing, anyway, so chill out." Panther pouted, "But, I was on to something... Fine, Leon, I'll just let things play out, and zip my lip."

Leon sarcastically smiled "Good, now let me through." Panther realized he was standing in the 'living room's' doorway, "Oh, heh heh... excuse me." He stepped aside, and Leon left.

Some alleyway in Corneria city, 7:44 p.m.

"Look pal, what do you want from me?" groaned a figure, who was lying near a dumpster, engulfed in shadow.

"I already told you what to do, but you don't seem to hold much value to your life." a sinister shadow pulled a knife from his jacket, and it was brought to the quivering middle-aged man's throat.

"Please, Mister, I swear I'm not lying, I have nothing on me, all my money's in the bank... " the man whispered, but the opposing figure pushed his knife closer, "That's too bad for you then." Fox was taking Krystal to a nice neighborhood restaurant, when he looked in an alleyway, and spotted a few guys huddled around a fallen man, "Stop!"

The figure turned, to see a reasonably young fox pointing a blaster his way, and recognized him as Fox McCloud of the mercenary team Starfox, "Aw, son of a... guys, we got company!" He yelled, and they all turned around, one of them holding a beaten up avian, "Put the knife down" Fox snarled. Upon closer examination he saw a trio of canines, and a sinister looking raccoon.

They just laughed, "You expect us to just forfeit right away!? Why would we submit, when there's just you... " he stopped, feeling the cold butt of a blaster at the back of his head, "Do as he says, 'buddy'." Falco Lombardi's eyes were stern, and he never moved from where he was standing. The raccoon chuckled darkly, "Well, aren't you the clever one?" he cast his gaze towards Fox, "... but do you honestly think I've been bested, Mr. McCloud?"

Fox just smirked, "We'll see, won't we?"

He didn't plan on losing Starfox, so the raccoon looked at one of his thugs, "Finish him off." he inaudibly told him.

A blaster bolt from Fox knocked the knife out of the canine's hand, and he growled, clutching his wrist, "Get him!!" the raccoon yelled.

A thug approached Fox, and swung his fist at him, but Fox was hardly a rookie, and easily dodged it, while kneeing the guy in the stomach, and kicked him into the snow. One of the raccoon's followers assaulted Falco, but the avian proved a better fighter than the canine, and punched him in the face, sending him flying into one of his other 'friends'.

The raccoon snarled at the last standing thug, "Come on, get it together!" he shoved him forward, and the raccoon turned to face Fox again, who implanted his fist into the raccoon's face.

Fox then heard some Police sirens, and an officer hopped out of his car, walking quickly towards Fox.

"Hey, what's going on!?" He saw Fox standing with a downed raccoon at his feet.

"Starfox! Oh, excuse me... what happened here?" he asked while straitening his badge, "Take these guys in, Officer, I just stopped them from taking this poor fellow's life." "_Do all of my visits to town have to end up like this?_" the vulpine thought. "The general will most certainly hear about this, Fox, you did well. You and your crew can leave now, we'll take care of it from here." Fox nodded.

"Alright, Falco, let's get going!" He then called Krystal, and told her what happened, and hoped she'd be less angry about him being late for their dinner.

"Hey! Mister Fox! Fox McCloud!" Fox sighed, and turned around, and saw that avian hobbling towards him, "Hey, I just wanted to thank for saving me!" he smiled, and extended a hand "Arland Byrett's my name." and Fox shook it, "Really, don't mention it." Fox murmured. But the bird wouldn't have it, "No, really, thank you! Is there some way I could repay you?"

Fox rubbed the back of his neck, "It's really not necessary, sir. Besides, I have to go to dinner with my girlfriend, I mean... a friend of mine. " Fox's eyes were worried looking, all of a sudden.

The avian's smile widdened, "Ah, I see!" he winked, "I'll tag along, and be living proof of why you're late, so she won't be so mad then!" Fox grinned, "Oh, ha ha, alright then, come with me... "

Taste Buds Delight restaurant, 8:12 p.m.

Krystal was leaning her head against her palm as she looked at a fairly large sized clock, and sighed, "He said eight o'clock, what's keeping him?" suddenly her communicator let out a shrill beep, she answered it, "Yes?" "_Krys!_" "Fox!" "_Krystal, I'm sorry I'm late, but something came up, all will be explained when I arrive! Please, just... hold on a little longer._" Fox hung up.

"At least he seems to have a reason... " Krystal grumbled, as she rested her chin on her fist.

A few minutes later, the door swung open, and two figures emerged. One was a green avian, and the other was Fox McCloud, who's eyes were scanning the place, and as they rested on Krystal, he stopped.

Fox sheepishly grinned at her, and a blush found it's way to his face, but the vixen just looked at him in exasperation, and he traversed to her table. "Krystal, I can explain this... " and Arland walked up to them, and took a seat. "Why, hello. You must be Krystal." he smiled "Your friend here saved my life, you know! You'll have to pardon him for his lateness, but his extremely selfless act is the only reason I am with you right now."

Krystal's eyes widened, "Is that true, Fox?" Fox nodded, Krystal smiled, "My apologies, I would wait for the reason of justice any day! So, why were you in trouble?"

"Oh, a few un-marry men decided to give me trouble, and I would've ended up a bloody corpse in the alley had Mr. McCloud not shown up." he patted Fox on the shoulder, "I will not delay you two your meal any longer, so I'll be off now." he waved to Fox once more, "Thanks again!" and he was gone.

"Well, I've got to say, Fox, that was an extremely romantic touch... " she said as though Fox had arranged for that situation to happen.

"Well, you know me... " Fox started rather smoothly, and his tone was quite low, and seductive, "I am **very** protective."

Krystal giggled, "Oh Fox, stop that!" she playfully smacked him, and he smirked, but his expression then changed to a serious one, "But really, I had to do something, I always have to help in that sort of situation."

"Yes, I know, Fox, and I'm glad that you care... " she placed her hand over his, and the vulpine's face seemed to slightly resemble a tomato.

Just then a waiter appeared, "Hello, can I get you two menus?" he pleasantly asked, Krystal had waved the offer off the first time he approached, wanting to wait for her... date to arrive.

But now she was ready, "Yes, please." she answered, and the boy left for the kitchen.

Krystal looked at Fox, he was nervously wringing his hands together, and his face had a red tinge to it. "Fox?" he continued his actions, "Fox!?" he stopped and looked up at her, "Oh, right... yes Krystal?" she grinned,

"Is something bothering you?" she asked, "No, of c-course not, my hands are just a bit cold... " he lied. Krystal laughed, weakly, "Fox... " he looked at her, "huh?" she pressed her muzzle to his...

Fox just stared, face bright red, and frozen in the same position, "Are you ready to order?" Krystal gently asked him, and Fox blinked, "Oh, um... just give me a moment... " Krystal kept on smiling, this date was going quite well...

Author: Oooooh!! Krystal and Fox might be makin' some sweet music later on! By the way, the other night, Bill was doing some things that involved a funnel, many six-packs of... an unholy liquid, and a lot of women; his headache the following morning was plenty punishment. So, I hope chapter four wasn't too excruciatingly painful to read, and I'll catch ya latah!


	5. Merry Christmas?

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

The author speaketh: Well, I like to be reasonably quick with updates, but I don't wanna rush, and do a worse job on this. Also, I hope everyone's having a delightfully cool 2009, now read this chapter before I send Elmo after you!

Taste Buds Delight restaurant, 9:31 p.m.

The waiter came by, with a note pad in hand, "So, have you guys decided what you would like to order?", Krystal closed her menu, "Yes, could I get a Greek-garden salad, and some vinegar basted shrimp on the side?" Fox stared at her.

"And you, sir?" Fox took his gaze off of Krystal, "Uh... I'll have have a home-style medium rare steak, and... " Fox glanced at Krystal, and sighed, "... a small salad." he closed his menu, and gave it to the waiter, with Krystal doing the same.

"You're food will be here in about half an hour." the boy smiled, as he evened out the menus.

Then he got a look at Fox, and his eyes widened, "Fox McCloud! And... " he looked at Krystal, "Fox McCloud and Krystal! Oh my... forget what I just said, you're food will be here in 10 minutes!" and he ran to the kitchen.

Fox chuckled, "Wow, I should save the galaxy more often." Krystal just rolled her eyes, "Fox, that's not a good reason to... " "Yeah, I know... ha ha, I was just kidding." Fox laughed.

He then recalled his ordering of a salad, "Well, I got something healthy to go on the side, aren't I behaving well? Krystal merely sighed, "I shouldn't have to remind you, but yes, I am glad at what you've done. " Fox squirmed, "Now I'm the one asking, is something bothering you, Krys?"

Krystal lifted her head, "I'm doing fine, Fox, I was just wondering... do you want-" Krystal blushed, "Do you want to... stay in a hotel room tonight? Just to complete our night, in peace." she smiled nervously.

Fox choked on his glass of water, "P-pardon me?!" he pounded his chest, "Christmas is in one day, Krys. And... " he buried his face in his arms, "You don't think we're moving too fast, do you? he lifted his face, "Don't get me wrong; I love you, Krystal, but... " Krystal put a finger to Fox's lips, "Fox, don't worry, we can wait."

Fox saw the waiter returning, at a mildly fast pace, "Here are your meals." he bowed, then left.

Sargasso Station, 9:12 a.m.

Wolf smirked to himself, Panther would like his gift; Wolf had acquired a phone number from a black furred calico cat Panther had a thing for. Ever since walking by her, and a little chit-chat (knowing Panther, it was more like flirting) on the streets of Corneria, he took quite a liking to her.

On the back of the piece of paper containing the phone number, were details on where she wanted him to meet her, for some... socializing, shall we say? "_That sap is going to __**love **__this present; it's the cat's meow._" Wolf grinned at his pun, that takes care of that gift.

Leon had returned to his quarters, where he caught a glint of something on his desk, "What in the...? I thought I just cleared the clutter from that thing." he walked over to it, and froze, "Is that...!?" he picked up the leather sheath, excitement in his eyes."

A shiny, crude looking knife with a silver, rubber handle was revealed as Leon pulled it out of it's sheath, "Wow, I've been wanting one of these for _ages_, who did thi-...?" he saw a note on the back of the sheath, "**This should come in handy for interrogations, and the like, and you've always been whining about wanting one... **" the chameleon rolled his eyes, "**... and a torturer's collection would not be complete without this, enjoy, and Merry Christmas, Wolf, out... wait, why did I write that? I've been comming too much – Your commander and employer, Wolf O'Donnell.**" Leon grinned.

"How unlike Wolf, oh well, I know this will serve me well, heh heh heh... " it wasn't everyday that Leon was in a mood that was even close to merry, so this was quite an unusual occurrence, indeed.

Wolf lay in his bed, thinking, "_Am I going soft, or what? Since when do __**I**__ get presents for my teem mates?I think McCloud's super friendly & nice attitude has been rubbing off on me a little, as putrid of a thought as it is." _Wolf shuddered,

"I suppose they must know their captain cares somewhat, Fox would say something a whole lot cheesier than that, so I think I'm safe. Still, I should watch what I think about."

A knock resounded at Wolf's door, and it slid open, revealing... Panther, and the feline crossed his arms, "9:30 and you're still in bed?"

"I wasn't sleeping in!" Wolf barked, but Panther didn't seem impressed, "So, what are those then?" he gestured at the red pair of slippers adorning Wolf's feet. A feral snarl escaped Wolf's throat, fangs bared he put his frustration into words, "Quit sticking your pink nose in my business, Panther! Now, leave!!" Panther knew better than to mess with Wolf when he used that tone, so he left Wolf's quarters.

Starfox's Cornerian Base, 11:32 a.m.

Peppy was calmly munching on one of the cookies he and Falco made, when he was approached by Slippy, "Hey Slipp. What're you up to?" the toad sat next to him, "Not anything, Peppy, and it shouldn't be that way; I'm bored."

"Speak for yourself, Toady! I'm really enjoying this time off! Plus, Fox and Krystal have time to do their funky things, you should be glad!" Falco was yelling from the hall, "Falco!!" Peppy gave him a scowl.

Falco smirked, "Come on, old man, you know I'm right."

"shut your beak, Falco Lombardi! What Krystal and I did last night is none of your business!" Fox hollered.

"Regardless Falco, all this inactivity is boring me to tears." Slippy whined, "Fine, fine... " Falco (seemingly) gave up. Slippy turned around in the chair, and slouched down, pouting to himself.

Suddenly a cascade of cold water landed on the frog's head, and he jumped sky-high out of his chair screaming, "AAAH!!!! Cold, cold, cold!! Brrr! Who is responsible for this!?" Slippy looked behind him, and saw Falco holding an empty bucket, "How's _that_ for activity?!"

Peppy got up, and faced the avian, "Falco! You just soaked Slippy's chair, probably gave Slippy hypothermia or something, and scared the sheisa out of me, and poor Slippy! That was activity, yes! But not the right kind!"

"Y'know gramps? Slippy enjoys the sort of action that we get from missions, and they are usually full of bad activity." Falco countered. Peppy continued frowning, "Why you two go fix up your Arwings?" "Come on, Peppy, it's Christmas day!" They both whined.

Sargasso Station, 12:58 p.m.

Panther was lurking, and stopped by the hangar. so he decided he'd pay his Wolfen a visit, "So, how's my beauty doing this day?"

He noticed Leon doing some tune-ups to his Wolfen, "Hey, Leon." the feline greeted in a casual manner, and Leon unenthusiastically waved, "Hand me that socket wrench would you, Panther? Also, I think your suspicions were accurate."

Panther suddenly didn't look so casual, "Really?! What makes you say that?"

Leon smirked, "Well, there was a mutilater 1500 sitting on my desk this morning, and I doubt you'd have any idea what sort of... gift I'd like, so who else could have put it there?" Leon then let out a good natured laugh, something very few people have ever heard, and Panther took note of it.

"Wow, you don't say? That was nice of Wolf." "A verb seldom associated with our commander... " Leon muttered.

"Hm?" Panther looked at Leon, and Leon just shrugged, "I didn't say anything, my flirtatious friend." Panther pulled out a rose, and waved it past his nose, "I have a name, have you forgotten, dear Leon?" he whispered ominously.

Panther's suave manner of speaking only served to irritate the chameleon, so he responded with a grunt.

Starfox's Cornerian Base, 2: 53 p.m.

Fox was re-watching Falco dump a bucket of water on Slippy on the control room camera monitors, when his communicator went off, answering it rewarded him with Falco yakking in a reprimanding fashion.

"Tsk tsk, Fox. Where are you? Pepper's wanting to speak with us!" Fox appeared more alert at this news, "I'll be right there, Falco." "_Today's Christmas, what in Lylat could be so urgent that the General would contact us on a holiday?_" Fox thought during his jog to the 'command room'.

As he entered Fox saw the large image of the aged canine, and tried to act like he was purposely delayed, "Fox! Each of your teammates are here before you, their commander." Pepper sounded like he was scolding a disobedient child, "My apologies, General. I was simply not expecting to hear from you, today."

The general frowned, "It may be Christmas, but that doesn't mean crime's on hold. We were informed that the leader of Starwolf, Wolf O'Donnell, was sighted right here in Corneria, and we suspect Starwolf is up to something.

"I actually saw Wolf in a mall, sir, and he didn't appear to have any ill intent whatsoever." Fox stated matter-of-factly, "Fox, this is Wolf we're talking about, why are you being so... never mind. Just because you suspect nothing malevolent of his appearance, does not mean he isn't organizing something; I want you and your team to handle this." then the transmission ended.

Author: So what's going on? Is General Pepper being too paranoid? What's Wolf got in store for Panther? Stick around for chapter six, if you want.


	6. The Truth Shall Set You Free

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Some more of the author's yakking: Yes, I know, where have I been, right? It's high time I update this. Well, my apologies; I was EXTREMELY busy. Enough of my pitiful excuses, here's chapter six. Once again, thanks to a few loyal readers, however few of you there are.

Sargasso Station, 6:10 p.m.

Wolf was walking past the Command Room when a shouting tabby interrupted his thoughts, "Boss! I see something! Check this out!"

A few workers looked in the direction of the noise, Wolf sighed and walked over, glaring at the cat responsible for the outburst, "What's with the yelling?" he crossed his arms. The feline pointed to his screen, "There are two fighters approaching, Lord O'Donnell... " he began.

"... They... seem to be... Arwings!" "_Why would McCloud only bring two from his crew?" _Wolf thought. (Author: XD He rhymed! Oh, yes... back to the fic.) Suddenly the large monitor fuzzed to life, and Fox McCloud's face appeared, and Wolf rolled his eye. "What do you want, pup? Shouldn't you be at home decking the halls?", but Fox wasn't too amused, "Whatever, Wolf. You know, you never did reveal your 'reason' for visiting Corneria."

Wolf then paused, "N-none of your business, McCloud... " he coughed.

Fox raised a furry brow, and slightly tilted his head, "Er... what's going on, Wolf?" he asked, semi-suspiciously. Wolf's tail just swung to the side, "Fox, really, it's nothing...", then he quickly whispered, "...I'll explain later.". Fox returned his head to it's original position, "Wait, what? Oh, right... I'll just leave you be, then."

Wolf then realized something, "Wait! Why'd you fly out here if you just wanted to ask me a question?! That's just stupid!", Fox's eyes widened a bit, and he switched to a private channel, so only Wolf could hear him.

"Not like it's at all your concern, but I'm... taking Krystal somewhere... really, really... private... " Fox bit his lip, and Wolf grinned in realization, "Oh, I see, heh heh heh... I'll be waiting for my Jr. rival to arrive in, oh, nine months or so." Fox began stuttering, "W-Wolf!! You are SICK, that's so far from the truth that I... uh... " he sighed, "...Don't you dare tell a soul." Fox's face had a very serious look on it, and Wolf scoffed.

"Sure, whatever... see you later, pup." And the transmission ended.

A few workers, as well as the cat who discovered the ships, turned to Wolf, "What are you staring at? Back to work, all of you!" Wolf fled down the hall, "_It's a good thing Panther doesn't know..._ " Wolf thought with a smirk. He began to wonder what funny looking child(ren) the blue vixen, and the golden-orange vulpine would yield to this system.

The Great Fox, 8:13 a.m.

Peppy was calmly sipping from his coffee mug, and reading a Cornerian Stargazer Newspaper, when Falco lazily strode in, and plopped next to the old hare, "Hey, where'd old Foxie go last night?" the avian airily asked.

Peppy didn't take his eyes off the newspaper, "He didn't say, Falco, although he still hasn't returned... " Peppy shook a little in his chair, "...Him _and_ Krystal are gone, I'm sure you've noticed." He smiled to himself, "I reckon that's all you need to know."

"Oh NO! No, no, no, no, no! I am not gonna have a little fox cub running around the Great Fox in eight-ish months; no way!" Falco protested, Peppy gave him a look, "Falco! Chill out, alright! You shouldn't be jumping to those kind of conclusions, those two just... really like each other, okay?"

Falco crossed his arms (his signature move?), seeming unconvinced, "Alright Peppy, I'll keep my beak shut about this, but don't say I didn't warn ya!"

"Fox, where'd you say we were going?" Krystal asked, and Fox looked at her image on the screen for a second, before looking back ahead of him, "Well, I actually never said _where _we were going, Krys. You'll know when we get there... ".

Krystal was just about to search Fox's mind, and remind him that she was telepathic, but decided against it, wanting it to be a surprise.

Instead she began a conversation, "Hey Fox?" "Yes, Krystal?" he answered, "Have you forgiven me for investigating that huge Christmas tree at the mall? Fox raised his eyebrows, "Oh, Krys! I was never angry at you for that. Curiosity is curiosity, right? There's nothing to forgive." "_That security guard would probably have called the Police if I weren't the leader of Starfox... _" Fox thought with a slight frown, "_Ah shoot! I keep forgetting about Krystal's telepathy; I hope she didn't catch what I just thought._"

Krystal giggled, she wished she could reach into the screen, and lightly flick him on the nose, "Shall I apologize to that security guard the next time we're at the mall?" She innocently asked, Fox's face reddened "Hey! How did you...? Why were you...? Ugh. No, Krys, it's all good." Fox said.

"_Who does Fox think he's fooling? I know why he and Krystal headed out last night, at least, I'm pretty sure I know... _" Falco thought as he lay on his bed, facing the ceiling. "Hey, what about Starwolf? Pepper's concerned about their small appearance in Corneria, and he wanted us to figure out what it was about." Falco frowned, "Fox had better be taking care of things, along with his gal."

Slippy however, was not worried in the least; his work kept his mind off things. "I don't know why our visit to Zoness had to be so full of negative action." Slippy grumped as he was fixing his Arwing's numerous damages, "Then again, I'd probably be bored out of my skull if there was nothing to fix... " then the toad sighed, "... Pros and cons, you gotta love them."

"By the way, Fox, don't forget to let General Pepper know about Starwolf's... intentions. Speaking of which, what did you find out from them?" The vixen curiously asked.

Fox scratched behind his left ear, "Um, well, you see... I spoke with Wolf, and he... told me that, er... " Fox didn't find out why Starwolf was in Corneria, so what could tell Krystal? Swallowing his fear, Fox told her exactly what happened, "...So basically, he wasn't able to tell me in front of all his men, and he'll inform me later."

"You just left it at that? He could have been lying to you! He could be hiding something." Krystal reasoned, and Fox gave in "Fine, I'll call him up, I'll be switching to a private channel, so you'll have to wait."

Fox punched in Wolf's frequency, and waited... finally, after a while, the screen was filled with static, followed by Wolf's displeased looking face, the lupine sighed "Yeah, what's up?" he brought his head up to face the screen, and stopped when he saw Fox.

"McCloud! What's the deal?! Why are you...?" he then saw Krystal's Arwing, and remembered.

"Oh, right... " Wolf switched to a private line, and began talking, "Okay, listen... I was just visiting the mall in Corneria, because I needed to buy a few... a few... p-presents, for Leon and Panther, that's all."

Fox was surprised, and he was sure it showed, "...Wolf, are... are you serious?" Wolf was massaging his temple with with his hands, "Yes! Yes... that is why I was in Corneria." he snarled, "Now you know, Fox, and your precious General Pepper can rest at ease!"

Fox was startled "Woah, woah! Calm down, Wolf, I didn't mean you any offense, I just... " he glanced at Krystal's Arwing, and groaned, "How can I be sure you aren't lying...?"

Wolf bared his teeth, but kept his composure, "I'm not lying." he spat each word, "I even have evidence of my purchases, if you must see them... " Wolf cast his gaze to the side in annoyance. Fox winced, "Uh, yeah. I'll need to see it, Wolf, I don't distrust you, really, I just need to see prove."

Wolf crossed his arms and huffed, then brought up the information claiming his purchases on the screen. Fox stared at it, and after confirming that Wolf was indeed telling the truth, and had been... picking up gifts. "_Great Scott!! I was right all along! I thought I saw Wolf leaving with a bag, back at the mall... that is so unlike Wolf, wow!_" Fox was astounded, but he managed to smile, "I hope you and your team had a Merry Christmas, Wolf, I'll see you around." and the transmission was cut.

Wolf exhaled, and then smirked, "Ha, why was I so worried? The only not so great part was that I had to reveal my reason for traveling to Corneria... oh well. It warded off Fox, and he left me with no ill notions, plus... I can't lie, it **did** feel kinda good to... give." Wolf was silent after that, as he got up from his desk.

The Great Fox, 2:21 p.m.

Peppy was pacing little circles around in the control room, "What's that Fox doing? He and Krystal better have a good explanation for this."

ROB picked up on Peppy's less than wonderful mood, and intervened, "Sensors indicate a rise in your heart rate, Peppy, are you alright?", Peppy blinked, "Yes, ROB, I'm fine." and he left for the hangar.

Slippy heard footsteps, and turned around, "Oh, hi there, Peppy."

Peppy gave him a small wave, "Whatcha up to, Slipp?" the hare asked, Slippy crawled back under his Arwing, "I'm just repairing the damage sustained on that mission in Zoness. What about you?" "Oh, not much. You remember Fox and Krystal leaving last night, right? Well, they haven't returned yet, and I'm wondering where in Lylat they are."

Slippy reached out, and picked up another tool, "Where did Fox say he and Krystal were going?"

"That's just it, Slippy, he didn't say where. I hope Fox hasn't forgotten about General Pepper asking us to find out about Starwolf's activity, and the reason behind their visit to Corneria."

Slippy came out, and wiped his forehead with a cloth, "I wouldn't worry too much, Peppy. Fox is pretty good in that regard.

Author: So Fox learned the truth behind Wolf's little 'excursion', and told Wolf about his... plan, which is quite secret, indeed. I hope this chapter wasn't too awful, I think it sucks, but whatever.


	7. Secrets?

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Time for you to endure more of the author's verbal diarrhea: So, how is everyone, good? Great, well, I've been really slacking in this department, as of late. Here's the seventh chapter, so, try to enjoy it!

Fox and Krystal's Arwings, 4:30 p.m.

"So Fox, when shall we arrive at our mystery location?" Krystal (somewhat) impatiently asked,

"Don't you worry, Krys. We'll be there any minute." Fox looked at her image on his screen, "_Man, she is a fox! No pun intended, but, I'm just so lucky to have come across someone so beautiful... " _Meanwhile, the vulpine was unaware of his mind's security being breached by none other than Krystal.

Cheeks tinged with a crimson glow, Krystal whispered, "Aw... what a sweetheart." with a sigh she relaxed, and leaned back in her seat, "I suppose I won't complain about the trip."

Seeing their destination approach, Fox spoke into his comm. "Here we are, Krystal, just follow me, and we'll find someplace to land." Krystal did as she was told, and looked ahead of her. "Huh? There's.. nothing here, Fox!" "Krystal, look to your left." the vixen obeyed, and spotted a small cantina.

"Um, Fox... what, it's just a little... what's going on?" Krystal was beyond confused. Why would Fox take them here? This was not what she was expecting at all.

"I just figured w-we'd grab a drink, to start our 'adventure'... " Fox seemed to glumly respond, but Krystal was frowning slightly, "Oh, okay." that caused Fox to bite his lip (er... muzzle?), and his ears flattened a little.

As they landed their Arwings out front, a female weasel was waiting to greet them, "Good afternoon! Welcome to Cosmo'z Cantina, people passing through this sector stop here, as we're in a secluded area. Having so few customers, we make sure the ones we _do_ get have an enjoyable, restful time. Please follow me.

As Fox and Krystal were walking to the cantina, they spotted a familiar craft, Fox's eyes widened, "_A Wolfen!? How much do we have to see those guys!?_".

Krystal picked up on this, but kept moving, "Why does Starwolf keep following us around? One can't help but wonder... " the weasel glanced back, seeing the 'out of it' look on Fox's face, "I'm sorry, is something wrong?" she pleasantly asked.

Fox snapped back to reality, "Oh! No, no... everything's alright, my mind's just a little... preoccupied." their escort smiled, "Oh, okay then!" she then opened the door to the cantina, "You two may sit wherever you like, and a bartender will come to you momentarily."

But Krystal was pondering Fox's response, "_His thoughts are preoccupied? What's he thinking about_?"

she could have just gone in there, and figured it out, but she wanted Fox to have _some_ privacy in his head.

The Great Fox, 5:58 p.m.

"Don't you have ANY faith in our commander?!" Slippy's voice was rising, "Relax, Froggy. I'm just a little worried, that's all." Falco's eyes turned to the window, "Where in Lylat have those two love birds gone off to, and what are they doing?"

Peppy coughed "Stop it, Falco, you have no reason to worry... or _do_ you?" the hare finished with a smirk.

Falco's feathers bristled at this remark, "Oh grow up, old man. I already told one of my fears, but **any**thing can happen, right? He's my pal, sue me for having the slightest bit of concern." as an afterthought he added "I'm sure you would've had a similar attitude were it back in the day, and James flew off with some 'hot chick'.

Peppy gave him a look, but then slowly lowered his gaze, and sighed "...Point made, Falco. But, why haven't you contacted him already?

The avian rolled his eyes, "Don't you think I already would have thought of that...?" he muttered, "Both his and Krystal's communicators are off, wrist and Comm."

"Say... " Slippy spoke up, "What's happening with the Starwolf situation?" no one knew anything, and they very well couldn't even begin to know where Starwolf could be 'hiding' without Fox and Krystal there. They could assume, and hope that their rival team was at Sargasso still, but, knowing how resourceful those guys were, they probably already know about General Pepper wanting to retrieve information from them, information that they may be... unwilling to just hand over.

"Well... " Peppy began "We could try Sargasso Station, they might still be there."

"I don't know, what if they caught wind of this, and headed to some unknown location?" Falco said. He really wished that Fox and Krystal were here to help sort this out.

Cosmo'z Cantina, 5:58 p.m.

Krystal and Fox were seated by a window across from the bar, and both were looking around for the owner of that Wolfen, but they were surprised at who they discovered.

"Panther!!" They both exclaimed, but the feline wasn't alone; there was a cat, a calico of a midnight hue, sitting right across the table from him, and they were... conversing pleasantly, which shocked the both of them. They had alerted Panther, and he peeked in their direction for a moment, widening his eyes at Krystal, but narrowing them at Fox. He quickly turned around though, as he was finding company was quite enjoyable.

"Huh! Panther finally got himself his _own_ girl, and they seem to like each other quite well. Good for him, isn't that right, Fox?" Fox's mind was currently elsewhere, though "Fox!" the vulpine snapped to attention, with a slight blush, "Oh, uh... yes? What is it, Krystal?".

Krystal sighed, "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" she grumbled, "It's nice that Panther found himself a girl, isn't it?" Fox's brows lowered a bit, "Yeah, sure... " "_Now that creep will stop hitting on MY girl._"

Krystal was slightly amused, and slightly offended at Fox's thinking, but he's being a typical protective boyfriend, so she let it go unpunished. Just then a bartender arrived, "Hello! What can I get you two today?" Krystal turned to face her, "Oh, hi! I'll have... " she took a second to confirm it in her mind, "I'll have a Mixed Rubea Quinella, white please." "Okay." the bartender wrote it down, and looked at Fox, "And you sir...?" she stopped when she saw who he was "F-Fox McCloud!!!" she practically screamed "Wow, we are honored to have you here! What... what can I get you?"

Fox stifled a laugh, and made his order, "I'll get an Ice Crimson Lukier, please." the bartender quickly jotted it down, "That's on us, Mr. McCloud... " Fox interrupted her, "Please, call me Fox." "... That's on us, Fox." she smiled, and left to get their drinks.

Fox turned to Krystal with a sly look on his face, "Heh heh, You know... I just might be able to get used to this." Krystal playfully stuck her tongue at him.

Fox's thoughts went back to their previous subject, and he almost appeared to be sweating slightly, Krystal immediately noticed this, "Fox, is everything alright?" she asked in concern.

"Mm? Ah, I mean... yes, of course it is, Krysta... " just then a young, dark brown vulpine approached them, excitement in his eyes, "Wow! Fox McCloud!!" he then looked at Krystal, "...And you must be Krystal! COOL!! Would I be able to get your autographs?!" he brought out a note pad and a pen.

Krystal assumed a pleasant demeanor, "Why of course! I'd love to! Here... " she grabbed the pen and note pad, and scribbled her signature. When she was done, she looked at Fox expectantly, "Fox?" the vulpine brought his attention towards them, abandoning his thoughts for the moment, "... Sure." he quickly signed the note pad on the same page, and handed it back to their fan, "Thank you very much!!" the fox happily replied.

Sargasso Station, 6:27 p.m.

Leon was busy admiring the weapon Wolf had got him, when a knock resounded at his door. Leon put the knife down, and sighed "Come in." the door slowly opened, revealing Wolf, who walked in, closing the door behind himself and leaning against it.

"Hey Leon, how're things?" Wolf asked him, the chameleon shrugged, "Just fine, I suppose."

Wolf quietly cleared his throat, "Did you... enjoy your little present...?", Wolf wasn't very practiced at this sort of thing. Leon stared at him, "Oh, yes... thank you, Wolf." those weren't words the lupine had heard very often, "You're... er... welcome, Leon. So, have you seen Panther at all today?"

"No, he must still be on his 'date'." Leon told him, and Wolf found some humor in that. Chuckling, Wolf responded, "Finally, that sap got what he wanted... " "...And it was because of you." Leon finished.

"Yes, that hairball owes me his life!" Wolf howled out loud (Sorry, Inside joke. :p)

Wolf was playing with a loose thread on his vest with a claw, "Well, I guess I should go prep some dinner." Wolf half-heartedly gave Leon a salute, then headed to the kitchen. Leon went back to examining his knife.

Wolf was looking through the cupboards in the kitchen, "_Hmm, what should we have tonight_?" he kept rooting through all the cabinets, and drawers, until he found something: a few cans of chicken noodle soup.

"Ah, this will be perfect!" Wolf exclaimed, making chicken noodle soup would be an easy fix, and it would more than suffice for a good meal, not to mention how easy on the 'wallet' it was.

"_Ha, I'll show Leon who the __**real **__master chef is._" Wolf was reminded of some of the great food Leon would make whenever it was his turn to cook, and refused to let Leon's cooking remain superior. "Yup, all of those 'professional chefs' out there will swoon for my cooking, this night."

Author: Will Wolf's meal be as successful as he hopes? You'll find out, later on. In the meantime, why don't y'all make yourself a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and review? Stick around for chapter eight, if you dare!


	8. The Big Question

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Yipee, more of teh author's blabbering: Mmm, that was some good chicken noodle soup... oh, hello there, again. Well, I just acquired some free time, so I should be able to crank out more of these, w00t. Without further ado, here's the eighth chapter:

Sargasso Station, 6:46 p.m.

A voice suddenly blared over the intercom, "Hey Leon! Dinner's ready."

Ladle still in hand, Wolf stood triumphantly over his fresh pot of chicken noodle soup, "Leon probably thought I couldn't pull it off, but he was dead wrong, wah ha ha ha haaaa!". Leon heard the familiar 'evil' laugh of his commander, and sighed, "Now what has he done...?"

Wolf saw Leon enter the 'kitchen', "Hmm, it doesn't smell like you burnt anything; it actually smells quite decent, Wolf." Wolf rolled his eye, "Since when do I burn food, Leon?" Leon just scoffed, and Wolf grunted in response.

"So, did McCloud get what he came for?" Leon surprised Wolf with this question, and Wolf's eye widened a bit, "Er... How'd you know about that?".

"I happened to be in the surveillance room when you received the transmission." Leon folded his arms (steeling his rival's move, tsk tsk) and stared at his commander.

Wolf noticed this, and laughed nervously, but cleared his throat, "Yes, well... that pup got what he was seeking, Leon, you need not further question me about it... ", the chameleon decided to leave it at that, instead he looked down at his bowl of soup, and grinned, "Chicken noodle soup, huh? What's wrong, you couldn't handle something more... sophisticated?"

Wolf instantly shook his head, "No, that's not it, not at all! There just wasn't any better food!" he lied, but Leon just rolled his eyes.

Cosmo'z Cantina, 7:09 p.m.

"Meeting a Starfox fan way out here, what are the chances!?" Fox whined, and Krystal patted his shoulder, then rested her head on it.

"Oh Fox... why must you act so bothered?" She breathed, "Here I am, trying to enjoy some time away from my team, and with the woman I lo-... " he suddenly fell into a coughing fit, Krystal's head sprung from it's position, "Fox! Are you alright?" Fox thudded his fist against his chest, "Ah, darn... yeah, I'm fine, Krystal."

He almost became stuck in her warm, blue eyes, but was able to control himself, and finish his sentence, ... the woman I... love-" Krystal gave a smile, "-and they manage to still find me so they can harass me with their cursed notepads." Fox groaned, but Krystal was giggling, "Fox, Fox, Fox." she had a bemused grin.

"They're always gonna be there, they'll always find you, Fox, but that shouldn't matter, 'cause we... have each other." the vixen's cheeks took on a shade of red, but Fox grabbed her hand, "You're right, Krys... " he sheepishly smiled, as he slowly moved his muzzle towards hers, "All we need are each other, and-... " he was unable to finish his sentence, as his lips had been claimed by something... or someone, else.

the bartender returned, slightly embarrassed, and quietly cleared her throat, immediately drawing both vulpines' attention, and Fox's eyes grew frighteningly wide. "Um... is this a bad time?" the bartender gently asked them, and Fox returned to his original position at the speed of lightning, blushing severely, "Oh, h-hi, um... " he coughed, the mouse raised an eye brow, "You're drinks... " Krystal set her eyes on the tray the bartender was holding, "Oh! Right, thank you!" she grabbed hers and Fox's drinks.

The bartender merely stared at them both awkwardly, and swiftly left them to their beverages, "Well, are you thirsty, Fox?" Krystal held his drink towards in front of him, and Fox broke off his stance, "Ah! Er... thank you, Krys." he weakly smiled, and she tipped her glass with his his.

"Cheers" Krystal beamed, but Panther's 'date' spun around in her seat to grab an extra straw from a passing server, but caught sight of the two romantic mercenaries. "Say Panther... " she began, "... Aren't those two over there Starfox mercenaries?", Panther froze as soon as he heard her mention Starfox, but he peered down the 'aisle' and saw the two love birds exchanging pleasant conversation, "_It's that Fox! And he's going out with Panther's Krystal, the nerve!_"

Panther wanted to march down there, and give Fox a piece of his mind, but a soft 'meow' caught his attention, "Yes, my dear?" Panther purred.

"Panther... what's going on? Wait... weren't you and that blue vixen at one time... " she gasped, but Panther grabbed her hands, "No! No, miss Milson, it's nothing, honestly!" Panther's head drifted down, "Or at least, it's nothing now... " he muttered, "What was that?" she irritably questioned.

"Nothing, it was nothing. " Panther offered a slightly forced smile.

"Krystal, the real reason for me taking you here, I... " Fox knew he wouldn't have an easy time doing this, nevertheless, he continued, "...I, er, well, um... " the sweat was practically gushing down his furry neck, he was so nervous! And Krystal could tell he was struggling, and she responded in a hushed tone "Fox... what are you trying to say? Whatever it is, it's okay. You can tell me later." "N-No, I... I need to do this now." "_Jeez lahweez! It couldn't have been this hard for you, Father, right?_" Fox didn't expect a response, and he didn't get one, "Er, Krystal? I... I-I have something very important t-to ask you... "

Krystal knew the vulpine was being dead serious, and it frightened her, "Fox. What's going on? You're scaring me." she didn't see him grab it from his pants' pocket, but she anticipated something... very big. Fox tried to remain serious, and still, but he could not control the slight shaking of his body as he spoke to... her, "Krystal, I, will... w-will you-" Fox grabbed his head in fury, and quickly spouted out the last bit, "Willyoumarryme?" Krystal was barely able to speak, but caught what Fox had said, and could not conceal a very large gasp.

Fox looked like he was about to erupt, face a deep crimson, "K-K-Krystal... will you... make me the happiest man (male anthro fox. lol) i-in Lylat?

Her eyes were glued to the small silver-gold ring, that held a cerulean colored gem in it's center, "Fox... " she held her head, it was practically full to bursting of rushing thoughts, and she had to struggle to stay conscious.

Fox felt right away, that he just made a really big mistake, and wasn't sure what he was even going to do, but he saw Krystal teary-eyed, a massive grin plastered on her face.

"Fox! I... I love you! Yes!! YES!!" Fox almost had a stroke when he heard that, he was feeling light-headed, "Oh my... Krystal!" Fox couldn't stop himself from practically jumping across the table, and hugging her.

Krystal felt a quivering Vulpine head resting against her shoulders, and then muffled cries, "Oh Krystal! Thank you, thank you so much!! I love you, Krystal!!!! every single person in the Cantina was staring at what had just occurred in awe.

Soon afterwards the sound of applause filled the ears of Krystal and Fox, and looking up, Fox saw that bartender holding their cheque, and Fox smirked as she tore it in half, and he gave her a hearty salute. "_I did it! And she said yes'!!_" Fox thought excitedly.

While everyone else was cheering, and acting exuberant, Panther was just staring at the table, frowning, "Hmph. Let that Fox rejoice, and let Krystal... " he sighed, but smiled to himself, "I always knew we weren't meant for each other, but it was fun while it lasted."

No one, however, heard Panther speak those words, due to all the commotion.

The Great Fox, 8:12 p.m.

"Hey, I just got a message from Fox!" Falco yelled down the hall, and began running towards the command room.

Slippy and Peppy were staring at him with anxious looks on their faces, "Well Falco, what's the news?" Slippy asked, "Did he say anything about Starwolf?" Peppy asked him.

"No, but... !" Falco started, "He just informed me that he and Krystal are engaged to be wed..." Falco's feathers bristled for a moment.

"I knew they were doing freaky things, but I did _not_ expect this!" Falco was too busy muttering to himself to notice Peppy stand up, and throw his fist in the air, "YES! I knew that boy was up to something good!" "_Your son has really done it, James._" Peppy smirked.

When Falco finally got a grip of himself, he mentioned the rest of the message, "...Fox also told the general bout Starwolf's situation, and apparently they're... entirely innocent." Falco rubbed the back of his neck, "He says Wolf actually went... shopping, and got a few gifts for his wing mates. Isn't that whacked?" Falco was quite shocked.

"Um... how generous of him." Slippy slowly replied, "So, Pepper's got all the stuff he wanted?"

"Yes, Slippy." Falco confirmed, "Well, it's good to know all that stuff's taken care of... so, I'll be in my quarters." Falco stated in a bored voice.

"Before you go, Falco... " Peppy grabbed the avian's shoulder, "...Before you leave, I'd you like you and Slippy... well, this was obviously a big step for Fox, and a big decision, and although he may be happy with it, he needs to you guys approve... " Peppy softened his gaze, "...I want both of you to just... let him know how proud you are of him, and congratulate him, etc." Peppy went to the wine cabinets in the kitchen, and grabbed a bottle of... some very expensive looking champagne, "This bottle was 700 Denari; not cheap, but I feel it is suitable for them tonight, seeing what they just accomplished."

Slippy and Falco agreed, their long-time friend and commander, along with his fiancé, they deserved this at the least. Falco smirked, "I'll go tell Katt, I know she'll be glad for him." "Yeah, and she may think about you two, and where you guys stand." Slippy jested, to which the falcon rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Froggy."

Author: Well, well, well! I hope y'all appreciate that mushy crap I wrote, and may Fox never forget the importance of Titan, heh heh... unless he wants to get Krystal... yeah. Anyway, don't do drugs, and long live the act of reading and reviewing! Chow, for now.


	9. GoldenBrown And Blue

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

The author of le fic: Chapter nine; it's been way too long, hasn't it? So, Fox and Krystal accomplished something big last time, hee hee. How will the rest of the team take it? More like, how will this affect things, and will Starfox still operate? We shall see...

The Great Fox, 8:30 p.m.

"You know...? We should be really happy for Fox, I think. You guys need to brighten up." Falco stated after a moment of thought, and Slippy quite enthusiastically agreed "Yeah, that's right! And the next time Fox gets bombarded by Starfox fans of the female variety, he can just show them the ring, and the girls will leave him alone... especially with Krystal around." Falco raised an eyebrow, but Slippy and Peppy found humor in that statement.

"Yeah, sure Slippy." Falco rolled his eyes, "But that's just a small detail, I mean, you got Amanda, I got K..." Falco's cheeks turned a bright red as he just realized everyone was staring at him, and he just about leaked a 'secret', "... Anyway, Fox needed a significant other in his life, and I'm glad for him." Falco breathed a sigh of relief, and added "Not to mention, that vixen isn't hideous." he murmured.

Cosmo'z Cantina, 8:38 p.m.

Fox's face was beet red as he left the washroom, with Krystal in tow. After he calmed down a little, he went up to the bar, and thanked the bartender for the free drinks. He also asked that she'd not retell any of that night's events to any hungry reporters.

"Well, er... we should be going now, right... honey?" the vulpine timidly asked.

Krystal smiled at him, and put his hand in hers "Indeed we should." Krystal quickly pecked him on the cheek, causing Fox to blush a little, but he quickly composed himself as he noticed Panther waltzing towards his Wolfen, with a female. midnight-hued feline walking beside him. To Fox's surprise, Panther offered him a small grin, then hopped into his craft, his 'companion' doing the same.

"_Huh, what'd Caruso do that for? I would think after what took place earlier, he'd be even more hostile towards me...?_" Fox didn't understand it, but he pushed those thoughts aside as he hopped in his Arwing's cockpit, although he failed (once again) to remember Krystal's ability.

"Fox, I think Panther just got a reality check, and accepted the way things are now. I don't even think he's angry at you, anymore." Krystal reasoned, but Fox's eyes grew larger, "I don't think it'll ever cease to surprise me when you do that... " Fox flashed her a grin, "...I don't doubt what you're saying about Panther, but it's just... not going to easy to forget his former attitude towards me.

Krystal nodded "Fox, I totally understand, there's no denying it'll take a while for you two to peacefully acknowledge one another."

"I suppose you're correct, Krys." Fox said with wry smile.

"_Wow, look at that nice ring! It's the perfect color, too. Oh Fox..._ " Krystal dreamily sighed as she gripped her hands on the throttle. She then looked expectantly at Fox's craft, as if saying she was ready, however, Fox appeared enraptured in thought, at the moment.

"_Krystal McCloud... that has a nice ring to it._" Fox sighed, "_That ring just adds to her beauty._"

Krystal was both shocked, and pleased by those words.

The Great Fox, 9:00 p.m.

"This is kinda boring with just me." Falco whined, as he rested his arms on a pool cue, but his complaining was interrupted by a certain toad, who was jogging to the recreational room with some 'news' to report to his feathered wing mate.

"Hey, Falco!" That high-pitched voice always did something to the avian's nerves, but Falco wanted to hear what Slippy had to say. "Yeah, what's up, Slip up?" He lazily asked.

Slippy frowned at the distasteful nickname, "Fox and Krystal are back, Falco. They're in the bridge."

Falco suddenly looked interested, "They are? Cool, we'd better go greet them! Come on, Slip." Falco sloppily hung up his cue, and ran to the bridge, slowing down at the entrance to not appear all hopped up like Slippy. (Get it? Hopped up, Slippy's a frog. XD)

Even as Falco saw Fox and Krystal talking to a exuberant Peppy, he was thinking of how much a healthy couple they resembled, not to mention their intertwining tails.

"_Golden-brown and blue, eh?_" Falco thought with a smirk.

"...yes, and I'm General Pepper will also be quite pleased." Peppy was still chatting with the new couple, and was clearly enjoying it. "Oh, I forgot about ol' Bill." Fox laughed "He's gonna go nuts!" the vulpine knew all too well how Bill reacts to these kind of things; Fox would never forget the time Bill witnessed Falco and Katt kissing...

Finally Peppy was done speaking to the two lovers, and he went to the wine cabinet, so Falco decided to get a word or two in. "It's good to see you two have returned... " he started, "...and I'm glad to hear what went down while you guys were out, in fact... " Slippy walked over, and Falco grabbed his arm, "...Slippy and I are both really glad for you, it's about time our captain found love." he ended this last part with a devious smirk, which Fox returned, while Krystal simply rolled her eyes.

"Alright, guys, whenever you'd like some drinks, you can help yourself to this." Peppy held up the 700 Denari bottle of champagne, which attracted looks of shock from Fox and Krystal, "A-are you sure, Peppy?" Fox stammered "That isn't exactly an inexpensive drink, Peppy... " he replied.

"Pah!" the old hare waved a hand carelessly, "This occasion more than calls for it, I'd say!" Peppy nodded, "Besides, James loved this stuff... " Peppy merrily laughed, joined by Slippy and Falco. Fox was warmly smiling, "Thank you, Peppy."

Sargasso Station, 9:50 p.m.

After Panther had given his date a lift back to her apartment in Corneria, he returned to Starwolf's quarry, he was greeted by a tired looking Wolf, "Hey Romeo, you owe me big. I fixed that wall heater in your quarters, after you broke it."

Panther merely sighed, and mumbled "Thanks Wolf." Panther was also pretty pooped, and he went to his quarters, all the while smiling at the phone number that Wolf gave him.

Wolf figured he'd go have a word with the feline before it was 'lights out'.

"Hey Panther? So, how'd it go?" Wolf asked as he put his hands in his pockets, Panther rolled his head across the pillow to face Wolf, "It was good, Wolf, and thank you... for the number." Panther grinned, "Also, guess what happened while I was there?"

Wolf slightly inclined his head, "What happened, Panther?" Panther knew this would interest his captain, "Well, I-we... saw Fox and Krystal."

Wolf suddenly appeared more attentive, "Uh, go on, Panther... " Wolf urged him, "Basically, he proposed to her, and she accepted." Panther finished while straitening a whisker.

Wolf was very shocked, I mean, his rival is further than him... in this aspect, at least. "Fox and Krystal are... engaged!? Wolf practically shouted, causing Panther to have a sudden jolt, "Yes... yes they are. Also, he and Krystal went to the washroom, together! And they were in there for a while, which implies...!" Wolf thought _that_ was hilarious.

"Ha! That pup is becoming less of a pup, which is surprising... by the way, don't tell him I said that, or I'll sell you to a taxidermist." Wolf seemed to be having a laughing fit, which unsurprisingly became a coughing fit.

The Great Fox, 10:15 a.m.

Peppy was enjoying a steaming mug of coffee, while reading a Cornerian Stargazer Magazine, when he looked at Falco, who was sitting across the table, munching on some toast, and a warm mug of caffeine enriched beverage.

"Hey Falco? Have you seen Fox or Krystal at all, today?" Peppy inquired.

Falco shook his head, "We shouldn't disturb those two love birds anyway, old timer." Falco took a bite out of his toast, and winked, however, Peppy just rolled his eyes.

"Mmm... Ung...F-Fox... " Krystal looked at the alarm clock, "What?! It's almost ten thirty! Wake up, Fox!" there was some movement, and a little whining, but Fox tried going back to sleep. Krystal smirked, and positioned her muzzle an inch from Fox's right ear, "FOX!!!!!".

After flying out of his bed, the vulpine landed in a heap on the floor, and Krystal's laughter could be heard from the kitchen. Krystal decided to check up on the fallen fox, so she peered over the edge of the bed, and saw the severely panic-stricken face of her finance, and giggled.

"Hee hee, are we awake, now?" Krystal asked the prone form of Fox McCloud, "I apologize, but you had to wake up, because-... " just then the intercom came to life with an all too familiar voice "**General Pepper's requesting the presence of team Starfox, and that includes their leader, **_**Fox McCloud!" **_the snide voice informed them.

Fox instantly 'woke up', "General Pepper! Ah geez, Krystal... hold that thought, I've got to hurry!" Fox pretty much yelled, "_How could I be so careless!? I should have been up a few hours ago, and now the general will think I'm a slob!_"

Krystal deciding to talk to the stressed out Fox, but between his lightning fast movements to get dressed, and his pleads for her to not talk to him at the moment, it was proving to be a slight challenge.

"Fox, we've just become engaged, if anyone, the general will understand if we're fashionably late; don't stress yourself over it." she assured, but Fox was too focused to receive the full affect of those words, "You're probably right, Krys, but I just... have to be there, now!"

Author: So, Fox and Krystal got a little funky in that Cantina's restroom, it seems...? What will General Pepper think of the engagement? We'll find out... in the next chapter, or at least we should... Anyhow, please read and review, yeah?


	10. An Unsuccessful Attempt At Revenge

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

A few boring words from the not so very beloved author: So, Fox and Krystal are finally (about time, methinks), the rest of the team is happy for them, etc. So now what? Will the General dub this as good news, will they have any kids, and where shall they hold their wedding? Well, perhaps the following writing will give you some helpful insight...

The Great Fox, 10:20 a.m.

It almost made her dizzy to watch the speeding vulpine, but Krystal just stood there, and handed Fox his shirt, and everything he needed to look presentable.

"My apologies for the tardiness, General, not like I'm suggesting that excuses my being la-..." "Fox." the General rudely interrupted him, "Is it true that you and Krystal have become...?" Fox was too excited to hold it in "Yes, sir! Krystal and I have become fiancées!" He answered proudly, but then remembered, "Oh... I'm sorry, General. What was it you wanted to tell us?"

General Pepper was a little surprised by the mercenary leader's different approaching to addressing him, but remembered how giddy he was when it happened to him, and let it slide, "Yes... " he coughed "Well, congratulations you two, this must be joyful time for you." the General offered them a rather forced looking smile.

"However, I'm afraid I can't say the same for us here in Corneria. Those four whom you had a run-in with before your... uh... 'date' with Krystal here on Corneria, it seems that they are determined to get revenge on Star Fox, and they're in front of the Cornerian Military Base demanding the presence of the Star Fox team. They've planted many hidden bombs, and will set off the detonators unless they get what they're after! I want you and your team there A.S.A.P.! Pepper, out."

Fox slammed his fist into an open palm, determination in his eyes, "Well come on, guys! You heard the General! This is urgent, let's show these guys what Star Fox is made of!"

"Uh... Fox?" Falco snickered, looking at his leader's foot, which had a piece of toilet paper stuck to it's underside.

Peppy and Slippy were wrong when they thought Krystal was the only one who could make Fox blush, as Fox immediately turned bright red.

"...! WHAT IN THE NAME OF...!? AH!" Fox was visibly shaking, "Um... I guess I was so wrapped up in hurrying here, that I failed to realize that... Oh how embarrassing; thank goodness General Pepper didn't notice, eh?" he stated nervously.

Krystal folded her arms, and grinned in victory, "I really hate to say I told you so, Fox... Oh, what the heck? I told you so!" the vixen was laughing heartily , and everyone else was laughing at Fox's misfortune. Fox just rolled his eyes, and turned to ROB.

"ROB, set a course straight for Corneria." "Affirmative." ROB replied, Fox then loudly cleared his throat, to gain his teammates' attention, "I'll be back in a second, I just have to take of some... personal matters... " he grumbled this last bit, which just added to everyone's amusement.

Falco wiped a rear from his eye, "Ahhhh. Same old Fox... ha! He had many of _those_ sort of moments in the Academy." the falcon's laughter slowly died, then he looked at Peppy, "So when are we gonna land in Corneria, gramps?"

Sargasso Station, 10:41 a.m.

"At least that pup cleared any suspicions the Cornerian government held towards us." Wolf grunted as he downed a mug of coffee, "And he actually did something that wasn't entirely wimpy; maybe he'll skip the corny speeches the next time we face off."

Panther didn't mind terribly if he never got to see Krystal again, for now he had someone else. As for how long he'd be with her, well... we just have to wait and see.

"Lord O'Donnell!" An ape suddenly piped up, with his eyes on a monitor. "What is it now?" Wolf lazily asked him, "Sir, we've discovered that Star Fox is on their way to Corneria. Apparently a group of four 'gangsters' are promising major destruction to Corneria City, and demand the team's audience."

Wolf was thinking over what he had just heard, "Well, no one, except for me, is permitted to lay a finger on McCloud, and I'm not too keen on letting Corneria's main city getting blown to kingdom come, so I suppose we'll need to pay them a visit, and besides, we might be able to make the Star Wolf team's name strike less fear and terror into peoples' hearts, heh heh... " Leon snorted.

"At least they've removed those blasted bounties from our head." The chameleon figured he should keep the Star Fox team's 'ace pilot' on his toes, so he just subtly nodded, and turned to Wolf, "So, we're heading out right away, correct?" Wolf nodded.

Wolf turned to the ape who told them about this, "Hey, could you get us some more information on these 'gangsters'?" the ape saluted, "Yes sir! Will do."

"Okay, according to Cornerian Government's database these guys have been making shady deals around the galaxy, including a recent attack here in Corneria." "_Corneria, huh?_" Wolf thought.

"What's their leader's name?" Wolf inquired, "Their leader's a raccoon named Synddin, and they say he is quite a nasty fellow, indeed."

Wolf snarled, "Oh, _him_... " Leon saw a look of severe distaste in Wolf's eyes, and not just a common look; their commander really didn't like this guy. The simian raised an eyebrow, "S-sir?" Wolf just waved it off, "Just an... old client."

Cornerian Military Base, 11:04 a.m.

"Sir, they're getting impatient." A meek looking canine frantically informed the General, who sighed.

"I know, just tell them that the Star Fox team will soon be here." General Pepper massaged his forehead, "_Come on, Fox..._ " the General pleaded. Just then he received an incoming transmission, he immediately accepted it, "_This is the Great Fox, requesting permission to land._" "Permission granted.", the General told them, "Fox, you guys need to hurry! Our 'guests' are getting rather restless." "_Roger that, General._"

Fox turned to his comrades, "Is everyone ready?" "Of course we are, Fox!" Slippy inserted, "Yeah! Let's go teach those scum what happens when you challenge team Star Fox to a fight!" Falco exclaimed.

"Time for us to teach these guys a lesson, let's rock n' roll!" Fox shouted.

Meanwhile, above Corneria City.

"I see them, Wolf, now what do we do?" Leon voice cracked over Wolf's comm. "What do you think, Leon? Sheesh. We'll see how Star Fox handles the situation, and step in if things go awry." Wolf smirked, "I have a few things to clear up with the pup, anyway."

Panther was a bit suspicious at this remark, "Should Panther ask...?" the feline cocked an eyebrow.

Back to the Military Base.

Fox exited his Arwing slowly, and faced the vile group of criminals, approaching with caution, "Well, well, well... the famous mercenary-hero, Fox McCloud." Synddin snarlingly 'greeted', "If you think you can beat us again, you're dreaming, and you'll be witnessing a rather unfortunate display of fireworks once we take you out!"

Fox thought these guys were either **really** stupid (thinking they could defeat the Star Fox team), or really uninformed. "Fox, look out!" Krystal cried, but Fox's thoughts were interrupted as an object struck the backs of his knees, one of the canine thugs were able to sneak up behind Fox, and struck him with a crowbar, sending the vulpine to the pavement.

Fox grunted as he stood, "That was a cheap blow, Synddin, but, now that I know that there are no rules in this... " he took out his blaster, and aimed it at Synddin, wanting to remove this threat for good, but his blaster flew out of his hand due to a forceful kick from an unseen thug.

Fox's attacker was suddenly warded off by Krystal's staff, and after nodding towards her in thanks he charged at Synddin, the raccoon however, was expecting this and did a quick dodge to the side, foiling the attack.

One thing Synddin didn't anticipate was the vulpine's speed, and he found out the hard way, as Fox quickly dashed back towards him, hooking him in the jaw.

Fox smiled, "Why... my deer Synddin, is that all you've got?"

"Of course not, _Fox McCloud_." he spat the name, as he raised his own blaster, "But I'm afraid I'll have to cut this battle short!", Fox's eyes widened, then he snarled, "Not going to happen, Syn." and Fox briskly evaded a laser bolt.

Synddin fired again, this time hitting Fox in the leg, and Fox was wishing he hadn't lost his blaster, as the raccoon leader waltzed up to him, aiming his blaster at Fox's head, "Well, would you look at that. The famous Star Fox leader is lying there wounded, at my mercy, which I obviously won't offer, oh well, I bet he can't wait to see daddy!" Synddin threw his head back in crazed laughter as Fox could just sit, grinding his teeth, how dare this filthy excuse for a being mock Fox AND his father?!

But Synddin's laughter came to an abrupt halt, as he was whacked over the head with an all too familiar blaster, Fox was astonished; this was the second time his life was saved by his 'foe'.

"Wolf!?" Fox could only stare wide-eyed as his arch rival dropped his combatant like a stone.

Wolf just glanced at the fox, "You know me. My life would be too boring without a worthy rival, and I just couldn't let this creep take you out... " Wolf's appearance was emotionless, but Fox could tell he felt a slight satisfaction over what had just taken place.

"Thanks Wolf, I owe you my life... twice." Fox commented, Wolf just rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Later, pup."

Fox failed to hide a smirk.

Author: So, those criminal smuggler's decided to try and rid the Lylat system of Fox McCloud, but they failed. It wasn't the best way to begin a new relationship as fiancées, but the important thing is that they lived through it, eh? I trust this chapter wasn't too awful, and if it was, ask me if I care. =P Anyhow, please stay tuned for chapter 11, well, unless you don't want to...


	11. It's A Matter Of Trust

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

The author speaketh: Last time, Fox faced off with vengeance-seeking criminals who wanted to off him, but fortunately, he was victorious, with some help from his un-friend. Fox and Krystal haven't been able to get some free time for themselves either, well... here's the eleventh chapter, people:

Cornerian Military Base, 12:37 p.m.

"You think it's over!? You think me being delivered to a prison will end this!? You're dead wrong, McCloud!! I, Synddin Calsiér, will take Star Fox down! Just you wait, it'll happen. Until then, though, you can just suck my-... " the voice was cut off as a door was slammed in Synddin's face, and him and his crew were 'towed' away by the police.

Falco had a good enough imagination to figure what the raccoon was going to say, but he kept his beak shut. Instead, he just grinned, "Well, I guess we showed those punks, huh Foxie?"

"He honestly didn't think for one second that _he_ could defeat the Star Fox team, did he?" Krystal asked with a smile.

"For him to have any thoughts of the sort would have been ridiculous, indeed, but don't be too full of pride." Peppy directed this statement more at Fox, "Fox, you would have been a goner had Wolf not shown up. "

Fox looked semi-accusingly at Falco and Krystal, "Well, Wolf's not the only who could've helped me, ya know?"

Falco snorted, "Oh, yeah, sorry 'bout that, Fox. In case you didn't notice, I was dispatching a few of the guy's goonies." but Krystal was more sympathetic, "I-I'm sorry, Fox, but Falco and I had to take care of those thugs of his, he made sure you were totally independent, so, Wolf _was_ the only one who could assist you.

Fox stared at his lover, "Yeah, your right, Krys. I shouldn't have barked at you." but Fox wasn't all there when he said this, and Krystal could tell, "_Man, she is so beautiful, I could swim in those eyes for days, years even._"

Krystal was quite flattered that Fox thought this way about her, but she was a little annoyed that he most likely didn't hear a word she just said, "_Ah well, I guess you can't always get everything._" The vixen sighed with a small grin.

Sargasso Station, 1:08 p.m.

Wolf was in a surprisingly good mood. All who witnessed what had just taken place-which was probably all of Corneria; Wolf noticed those scared little news anchors hiding in the background when he arrived-saw Star Wolf step in, and it's lead pilot help out Star Fox's captain, Fox McCloud. Wolf O'Donnell was actually applauded after taking down Synddin, and rescuing Fox in the process, and Star Wolf's reputation? Well, they're still remembered for all of the awful crimes they have committed (aiding a crazed scientist tyrant in the takeover of a system was not something easily forgotten), but the fact that had helped in a few tight pinches, which ultimately proved to benefit the Lylat system, and of course prevented some of the system's most recognized heroes from dying in combat, it's safe to say that their indirect acts of reconciliation have earned them the right to continue existing in Lylat.

There was an impatient knock at his door, "Wolf!? Come on, Leon fixed up some lunch for us!" Panther called, entirely unaware of what his fearless captain was doing in his quarters.

After Wolf had finished today's journal entry, he quickly shoved the book into it's secret fire-proof compartment, which was embedded in the wall beside his bed, and guarded by several heavy-duty padlocks as well as a fingerprint scanner, all of this concealed behind a mid-sized Star Wolf poster.

"Well, Leon's not nearly as bad of a cook as Panther is, so I guess bringing along some anti-indigestion pills won't be necessary." Wolf didn't want to think about Panther's last 'meal', all he dared himself to remember was Leon almost upchucking in his Wolfen cockpit, an hour after dinner took place.

"_I'm just glad that happened __**before**__ we ran into Star Fox. If they saw any of that, we'd never hear the end of it._" Wolf squeezed his eye shut at the thought, they had suffered enough humiliation at the hands of Star Fox. "Wolf! Come on!! Do want lunch or not!?" Panther yelled, once again. Wolf hardly dubbed this a suitable way for one to speak to their commander, but, when it came to food, he let it go, "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Wolf grouchily replied. Oh, how soon a good mood can end.

Cornerian Military Base, 1:10 p.m.

"I'm glad that's been dealt with." General Pepper sighed as he briskly walked away from the ever so inquisitive press. He could understand them wanting to speak with a high-ranking leader as himself, but they were there, they shouldn't have to be told what happened twice, "But the public would much rather hear it coming from my mouth, I suppose." The General mumbled.

"Si-sir, the Prime Minister of Katina, Ruhpeus Langhut, would like to have a word with you... " A humble newbie, a meerkat, nervously approached him, Pepper chuckled, and looked at his name tag: "M. Jones". The meerkat continued, "...he says it's fairly urgent, sir."

Pepper curtly nodded, "Thank you, uh... Mr. Jones! I'll see him right away." and the General promptly went to his office, and opened a communications line with Ruhpeus. The image of an old, walnut-colored vulpine appeared on the screen.

"Ah, General Pepper, thank you for getting back to me so quickly. So, I know those gang members were put away, and their threat to Corneria was snuffed, but... " Ruhpeus took on a worried expression, "...are they alone General? Might there be more of them out there, do you know?"

General Pepper had also thought about this, but, "I don't know, Ruhpeus... it's anyone's guess as to what could be happening behind the scenes, but I plan to get the Star Fox team on it, and maybe... team Star Wolf." the General visibly grew a little nervous a the mention of Star Wolf, and Rhupeus' eyes grew at the last remark. "Star... Star Wolf!? General, need I remind you of Star Wolf's past doings? Surely you aren't serious!?" (Author: I _am_ serious, and don't call me Shirley. XD Sorry, that just reminded me of 'Airplane!'. If you haven't seen it or heard of it, it's a good movie. Yes, back to the story.)

But Pepper expected this sort of reaction, and the hound was prepared to answer it...

The Great Fox, 1:33 p.m.

Fox was going over Peppy's words in his head, and found a valuable truth in them, but, what if he chose to place his trust in someone who wasn't entirely trustworthy? He didn't want to suffer the same fate as his father, and it pained him to think of it, but he just couldn't take such risks, and he couldn't bare to leave Krystal, the love of his life, to go through something like that, especially given the tragedies she's already had to endure.

As always, Fox had forgotten about the vixen's telepathy, and these thoughts almost caused Krystal to weep; she knew he wasn't just another heartless mercenary since she met him, she knew it, but she had no idea he was capable of... this, and it truly touched her, and made her admire him that much more.

Krystal wiped her eyes, and left for the living area.

"Hey, Slip-up!" Falco blared, "The microwave is acting goofy, when are you gonna get around to fixing it?!" Falco waited expectantly for an answer, and when he got none he opened his beak to call again, but was shushed by a rather calm Krystal, "Goodness Falco, quit your racket will you? Slippy's in the hangar, dealing with the Arwings."

Falco gave her a funny look, "What's wrong with you? You've just been sitting there, staring at nothing for the past half hour! Don't tell me Fox upset you, is it time for me to straighten out that orange fur ball?

Krystal rolled her eyes, "That orange fur ball happens to be my fiancée. But no, he did nothing, I just don't feel very energetic right now."

Falco decided not to further question her, but he knew she wasn't really telling the truth. Besides, he wasn't going to have cold lunch, he needed to find Slippy. "Alright, whatever. Anyways, I've gotta go place a bonfire beneath a certain amphibian." With that, the avian ran off.

In The Great Fox's Hangar

Slippy was running some diagnostic scans on the Arwings when Falco entered the room. Slippy suddenly knew this was not going to be a very friendly visit.

"Yo, Slip." the bird casually greeted, but Slippy could tell the conversation to come wasn't going to be a casual one. "Yeah, I'm doing just fine, thanks for asking." Falco sarcastically quipped, "But, the reason I came? You know that microwave in the 'Mess Hall'? The darn thing just up and quit on me! I tell ya, there is no way in Lylat I'm going to ha-...!" Falco was interrupted by the loudspeaker,"_Everyone! Report to the bridge, now!_" it was obviously McCloud speaking, and Slippy's shoulders relaxed somewhat in relief.

"Alright everyone! General Pepper, along with the Katinan Prime Minister, have requested that we go out and see if there are any more followers of that Synddin guy, or any unknown illegal operations, and of course if there are, we are to alert the General... " Fox's voice then lost a good portion of the confidence it held, "...And he wants us to... um... be assisted by Star Wolf, if they agree to help us..."

Everyone had shock written across their faces.

"...You're not kidding, are you Fox...!?" Falco sputtered, Krystal however, wasn't too bothered, although she was still rather shocked.

"Star Wolf, Fox? Well, if it's what the General wants..." she meekly replied, "As long as they don't try to pull anything!" Slippy exclaimed, and Peppy had a serious look on his face.

"He's got a point, Fox. How do we know if we can trust them?", Fox looked at him with some uncertainty. "I don't, Peppy, but I think _I_ can trust Wolf, and his crew, well, I hope I can."

Author: Poor Krystal and Fox, they just can't find time for themselves it seems, but they will, one way or another. So, Star Fox & Star Wolf working together, eh? Well, it really shouldn't be much a surprise, I'd think. So, if you want to find out how this 'mission' of theirs will turn out, you'll have to read chapter 12!! BWA HA HA HAAA!!!! Yeah, I've gone nuts, sue me.


	12. Unlikely Alliance?

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Some moar words from the incredibly nutty author: Can Star Wolf (Wolf O'Donnell in particular) swallow their pride, and ignore the fact that Star Fox rivals them? Well, I think they can most definitely be of help, it's just a matter of if they can put aside certain 'barriers' if you will, long enough to get the job done. Whatever the job happens to be...

Sargasso Station, 1:40 p.m.

Leon was quietly cleaning up in the kitchen after his comrades had eaten, and he appeared quite content about it.

"Heh, no leftovers at all. That's just a clear sign of how good my cooking really is, but I am no fool; I won't let pride get the best of me... even though I'm a master chef." Leon gave the pot he used a cheesy salute, and snickered to himself.

while he was passing, Panther saw Leon clearing the table in the dining area, and decided to give him a hand.

"Huh? Oh, hey Panther." the chameleon calmly greeted him, "Glad you're helping out. The sooner I'm finished, the sooner I can give that Wolfen of mine a well-deserved cleaning. It shames me to think that I haven't taken care of that for a few months. Panther turned to look at Leon.

"Oh yes, that reminds Panther. How does mine look, if you've noticed?"

Leon shrugged, "It looks fine to me, Panther. Although, after traveling through that asteroid field we passed yesterday, I'd say it could probably use a little attention." Panther nodded, as he trusted Leon's judgment.

Meanwhile...

Wolf was sitting in a comfy black, padded, leather chair as he looked through some paperwork, while in the control room. He lazily gazed at the hefty stack of papers sitting on his desk over in the corner, "Why must there be so much flippin' paperwork here, am I the only one who is capable of handling this rubbish?!" After tapping his claws on the table in frustration, Wolf half-stormed over to the awaiting paperwork.

Wolf was grumbling to himself as he picked up a sheet concerning some of the more common bills for Sargasso's utilities. "What am I paying those slackers for?" He complained, but something caught his eye, "What in Lylat?! three thousand denari for water!? Is everyone having ten showers a day, or what!? Oh, what's this?" Wolf read the little after note, "Oh, there were some internal leaks, but they've been repaired, which is a good thing, I suppose.

The Great Fox, 2:15 p.m.

"Okay everyone!" Fox began as he clapped his hands together, "Now, I should be contacting Star Wolf about now, but I want any tensions with this plan to be revealed before I start, so... anyone?"

Falco ruffled his feathers in distaste, "I might be a little more willing to go with this were a certain green individual not involved." Slippy coughed.

Falco rolled his eyes, "I was talking about Powalski, Slip-up."

Peppy quickly spoke up before anything could be said to start something, "Well, Fox, I think you should just call them up, and see if they're even up to it."

"I agree." Krystal said.

Fox looked at her, and lightly smiled, but shook his head as he looked towards Slippy and Falco. The amphibian and the avian were giving each other icy stares. "Enough you two! Now, if I could reclaim your attention..."

Slippy and Falco reluctantly ended their 'staring contest', and looked back to their leader. Fox dialed up the frequency for the Sargasso Space Station, and patiently waited. Unable to control it any longer, Fox's gaze drifted towards Krystal, who noted that far-off look in his eyes, and she gave a little sigh.

Smiling, and rolling her eyes in exasperation, Krystal loudly cleared her throat, which snapped the vulpine from his trance, and he quickly returned his focus to the screen in front of them. A couple seconds passed before a cranky simian answered, "Yeah, Who is it?!" he snapped.

Fox lightly exhaled before he spoke, "This is Fox McCloud, leader of the mercenary team Star Fox, requesting to speak with _lord_ O'Donnell." The ape's brow tightened at the emphasis Fox put on 'Lord', and the fact that Fox had even contacted them in the first place, "Star Fox! What do you guys want, huh!?"

Krystal was still quite unpleased with the lack of manners these guys had, but Fox just rubbed his temple lightly, with his right hand, "Look, could I just speak with him?"

The simian just sneered, and switched over to the control room's communications, startling Wolf with a high-pitched beep. Moaning quite audibly, Wolf answered the comm.

"...Yes, what is it?" A gruff voice answered, and soon an image of a annoyed-looking, grey lupine appeared on the display. Resting his head against a fist, Wolf glanced at the screen, his sole eye widening at the image of his arch rival. "Ugh! What is it now, pup!?"

"There's no easy way to put this, Wolf, so I'm just going to be direct and to the point. General Pepper would like us to have a look around, and see if we can learn anything more about that Synddin fellow. For all we know he could have a lot of followers ready to come and do what he couldn't, you know? Anyway, the General also requested that we, uh..." Fox then had a deep sigh, "...the General would like our two mercenary teams to accomplish this, together."

No matter how he tried, Fox could not lighten the impact this news had on almost everyone, even though his team was already well aware of the situation, they still showed signs of near-panic. As well, Wolf had a difficult time explaining it to his team mates, who were starting to get skeptical of General Pepper's level of sanity.

"I'm not any cooler with this than you are, birdbrain! Unfortunately, I don't really have any choice in this." Leon pouted, and Falco crossed his arms (yet again).

Panther didn't seem to object, "As long as Panther's wallet doesn't remain vacant, Panther will do this. And that squawking sack of feathers shall leave Panther alone, as well." the dark purple cat suavely remarked. Falco was steamed, "What did you just say, fur bag!?"

Fox was about to intervene, but Wolf beat him to it, "Shut up you two!!" he yelled, looking at Panther with a look most peoples' blood would freeze as a result of witnessing.

After facepalming himself, Fox looked back at Wolf, "Kay, if we can avoid this kind of problem during the mission, we should do alright." Wolf nodded, a frown still on his face, "Don't you worry, Fox. I'll make sure my men are well-behaved." Fox knew what kind of guy Wolf was, and knew he was totally serious. Then Wolf sighed, and spoke in a whisper, "Mm... alright, pup, you can count on our joining you, just try not to be as sappy as you usually are."

Fox rolled his eyes, but decided not to ask any more questions. "Alright, it's good that we all agree, then! We'll see you first thing tomorrow morning, Star Wolf. Fox, out." and Fox ended the transmission.

"Well... " Krystal began, "That was fairly smooth, Fox... and I'm sure that's not the only thing that is." she whispered seductively, and Fox immediately froze. "Uh... uh, team, heh heh, I'll see you all later." and with that, he grabbed Krystal's arm and quickly paced to his and Krystal's quarters.

Falco sat there, smirking, while Peppy just shook his head with a small grin. Slippy however, was totally clueless, "Uh, what just happened? Why'd Fox and Krystal leave us so soon, did they...?" a certain thought suddenly entered the amphibian's mind, and Slippy wasn't sure if he'd be able to sleep that night.

Katinan Military Grounds, 4:46 p.m.

Bill was just exiting the building when a news report grabbed his attention. Running to the television screen on the far wall at lightning speed, the young canine's eyes became glued to the T.V. as he saw a middle-aged raccoon holding a blaster to Fox McCloud's head.

Bill was even more surprised to see the raccoon drop like a stone after being whacked over the head with a blaster wielded by Wolf O'Donnell! "_What in Lylat!? Why did Wolf help Fox, and why didn't __**I**__ hear about my friend's life being threatened?!_"

Bill quickly took a seat on a nearby chair, deeply interested by the news report, and wanting to hear what the reporter had to say.

"Man, this was a really sticky situation. If the Star Wolf team didn't show up, old Fox would've been dead... Well, I'm glad that things were taken care of, and Synddin was locked away, but I wonder how Fox is doing? Fox and Krystal just became engaged, too; what awful timing!"

Bill was still kind of puzzled by Wolf's aid. As far as he knew, Wolf and Fox were pretty much enemies of one another, but, Wolf saved Fox's life, twice now, actually. What kind of enemy would do that? Of course Bill remembered them getting along great back in the academy days, so really, Wolf's behavior wasn't too unexpected, after all...

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to call up Fox, and see what's happening. I don't see him just letting something like that go so easily." Bill thought, and the canine went to a comm. sitting by the front desk.

Bill had no idea what he was going to hear, and he did feel a little bad for not contacting his friend for such a period of time as he did.

Author: There you have it, folks. Star Wolf and Star Fox are gonna handle this situation, despite the small bit of drama that occurred at first. And now Bill's about to find out just what is going down. Hopefully he won't catch Fox in the middle of-er... his business. But when Krystal wants it, she wants it, eh? ^_^ I mean, uh, stay tuned for chapter 13, foo(s)!


	13. You Gotta Love Fans

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

The author has some words for you: So, Star Fox + Star Wolf this time around; who knows, maybe Leon will teach Star Fox how to make meals without the use of microwaves! What did Synddin leave behind, just how many followers did he have to help him with his dirty work? Well, this chapter may be helpful insight, even if it sux:

Sargasso Station, 5:12 p.m.

"There, now doesn't that look better, Panther?" Leon casually asked after he finished cleaning up Panther's Wolfen.

"Uh... I guess so, Leon." Panther replied with uncertainty, causing Leon to roll his eyes, "I did a good job, admit it." Panther just forcibly grinned, "Yeah, sure Leon."

"So, how are you feeling about that mission tomorrow?" Panther asked

"I think it's about time we got one, for a start, but... " Leon frowned, "...I don't really look forward to cooperating with that blabbering feather duster." They were referring to Falco, of course, "What a coincidence, neither do I." Panther huffed. Leon grinned at that.

"I may be working with that bird... " Panther began, "...but if he gives me a hard time, I won't hesitate to pull his feathers out."

Back at the kitchen, a certain lupine was rooting through cupboards and cabinets, "Why can't I find any chicken noodle soup? I thought we had tons of cans of the stuff!" Wolf was very disappointed with this; after that one dinner where he cooked, he had started to take quite a liking to the easy-to-make meal, and preferred it over those horribly bland rations any day.

Wolf growled, "_I guess I'll have to have a little outing tonight._"

"Wow! My Wolfen looks ten times better than yours!" Panther exclaimed, and Leon rubbed his eyes tiredly, "Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I just cleaned yours, you dolt!"

Panther crossed his arms, "Well you don't have to get snarky about it, greeny."

Just as Leon was about to fire a comeback at his wing-mate, he noticed their commander waltz in. "Hey Wolf, what's up?" Leon asked, "And why do you look less than pleased, I thought lunch was good?" Wolf snorted, "Yeah, but this ain't about lunch, Leon."

Panther watched as the lupine climbed into his Wolfen, "Are you... going somewhere, Wolf?" a small growl escaped Wolf's mouth, "Yeah, I am. I've just gotta pick up a thing or two for dinner."

The Great Fox, 5:47 p.m.

Peppy was almost jolted from his chair, when Fox's communicator went off, waking the tired old hare.

Fox quickly answered, "Fox here, what do you want? Uh, I mean... this is Fox McCloud of the mercenary unit Sta-" "Fox, please don't make me hear that for the billionth time." Bill's voice pleaded.

Fox's muzzle curled into a smirk, "Bill, Bill, Bill, what a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

Bill calmly exhaled, before smiling jovially, "Oh, you know! I just wanted to check up my friend and his team." Bill's face suddenly acquired it's serious look, once again, "I've heard some things, Fox. It seems that something rather big just went down on your end."

Fox knew what his friend was getting at, "Yeah, I know what you're talking about. It's somewhat of a long story... " Bill placed a hand in the air, "Ah, don't give me any of your excuses, Fox. I want to know just what happened. I want to hear it from you."

Fox was aware that there was no escaping the canine in situations like these, so he prepared to tell his account of what took place.

"Well, it all began a few weeks ago, really. Krystal and I were meeting in Corneria City for... a date, and before I arrived I saw some unjust deeds being performed in a back alley, you know? So right away I went to check it out. When I got there, there was a middle-aged avian, beaten up, and laying against a dumpster, surrounded by three canines, and a raccoon, who was about to cut the guy's throat."

"That raccoon was a leader of a gang, seemingly situated in Corneria. His name was Synddin Calsiér, and he was quite vengeful when Falco and I beat up him and his crew, rescuing the fallen man, who's name was Arland Byrett. Anyway, Synddin wanted to get revenge on me, like I said, so he planted many explosives around Corneria City, threatening to detonate them all if I didn't come and face him. As it turned out, I emerged victorious, although I almost lost my life to this raccoon, and... I _would_ have lost my life to him, but I was saved by Wolf O'Donnell. And now us and Star Wolf are venturing out, to see if we can find any allies of Synddin."

"... " Bill was pretty surprised by what he heard. After all, the news anchors only said so much about it. "Wow, Fox! That's quite something, and I'm glad you made it out alright." Bill smiled, "And just remember, if you ever need my help, for anything, just give me a shout. Bill, out!" (Author: XD That Rhymed! What? A guy can't enjoy a good rhyme!?)

Krystal smiled, "_That's what I call a friend._"

The Great Fox, 6:20 p.m.

"Okay Slip-up, where's my blaster!?" Falco yelled from the shooting range.

"Well, it seems like Falco is in another one of those moods." Krystal flatly stated, and Peppy coughed, "When isn't Falco in one of those moods?". "Well said, Peppy, unfortunately I'm the one who's gonna have to endure it, this time." Slippy nervously straightened his collar, causing Peppy to laugh.

Slippy saw Falco as he entered the shooting range, "Hey Falco, you're blaster is over on my work table from when I was fixing it for _you_." Slippy thought the avian should be a little more thankful about it, but, this is Falco we're talking about.

"Yeah, yeah, that's great, froggie." Falco snatched his blaster from the table.

Slippy just sighed, "At least he didn't get all crazy on me. Sheesh."

Corneria City Groceries, 6:49 p.m.

It amazed him. Wolf thought there were way too many flavors of noodle soup.

After a few minutes of (annoying) searching, Wolf spotted what he was looking for, and he piled quite a few cans of it into his basket, not wanting to have to do this again soon.

Placing the basket on a small metal counter, Wolf individually ran his cans of chicken noodle soup across the little scanner, which was at eye-level. "**Thank you for shopping at CCG (Corneria City Groceries). Have a nice day.**" An automated voice replied, and Wolf gathered his cans of soup, putting them in a bag.

Wolf was heading for his Wolfen, when a teenager, a wolf not unlike himself, confronted him.

Wolf stopped, and spun around, "Yeah, what do you want, kid?" he sourly asked, and the little wolf pup nervously twitched his tail, "A-aren't... um." he audibly swallowed, "...You look like Wolf, Wolf O'Donnell, sir."

Wolf became less tense, "Yeah, that's me. Who are you, and what do you want?"

The boy seemed less scared, now, "Oh, I knew it! WOW! I love Star Wolf, and my friend... she's kinda got a thing for you."

He acted like he wasn't at all impressed, but Wolf couldn't help but blush at the thought of someone thinking that about him, even a little fan girl, but one could hardly tell he blushed, "Yeah, that's great, kid. So what, you want an autograph or something?"

The wolf's eyes lit up, "Oh, that would be kick butt awesome, Mister O'Donnell!! I... " Wolf interrupted him with a cough, "Hey, just call me Wolf, alright?", the boy stared at him for half a second, then continued, "Right, my apologies... Wolf. Anyway, I would _love_ to get an autograph from you! And I'll promise not to sell it online!" this last part made Wolf roll his eye.

The little pup pulled out an electronic notepad device, with an attached pen. Wolf grabbed the pen, and neatly jotted down his signature, and he added 'Star Wolf Commander'.

After handing back the device, the little wolf looked back at him, "Whoah! Thanks a lot, Wolf!! This is so great! You and Star Wolf keep rocking, And thanks again!" with that, the wolf scurried away.

Wolf shook his head, and smiled, "Cute little runt." he murmured.

Wolf couldn't remember the last time he'd been asked for an autograph, probably because it was never requested of him to give one, before. "Who knew? Something good actually came from saving that orange pup's tail, twice. Go figure!" Wolf smirked.

Sargasso Station, 7:38 p.m.

Leon was sitting on the couch, watching whatever slop was currently on, while Panther was slowly pacing the room, "Wolf didn't say when he'd be back, did he?"

Leon didn't even turn around, he just shook his scaly head. "No, he didn't, Panther. I don't see what your deal is, he'll be back when he's back, although, I _am_ rather eager for dinner... "

Author: Star Wolf agrees to help Star Fox with their mission, or at least Wolf does. And Wolf has gained some unexpected fans, too! Also, what's happening with Panther's latest girlfriend? Well, read on and find out, yeah? Adios, for now! BTW I'm still a nut...


	14. Love Can Fit Anywhere, Even In Work

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

I, thee author, shall open my mouth to your willing(?) ears, once again: About time I get the fourteenth chapter up, eh? Shame on me, shame on me. So, Wolf has a fan or two, including a wee little girl, teehee. Ahem, and what's this mission of theirs going to bring? Without **further** delay (God forbid), here's the next chapter:

Sargasso Station, 7:40 p.m.

Wolf was quietly humming to himself as he jumped out of his Wolfen's cockpit, both feet landing on the metal flooring of Sargasso's massive hangar, and was greeted by the somewhat hectic atmosphere that was Sargasso Station, although everyone made darn sure not to get in the Star Wolf captain's way.

Wolf, with a small grin still plastered on his face, went into the kitchen, and put a good-sized bag beside a snoozing Panther's head, waking the cat up.

"Ungh... oh, hey Wolf." Panther gave a small yawn, "Glad to see you're back... " the feline quit talking as he saw his commander bring a can of chicken noodle soup out of the bag, and sighed.

"Chicken noodle soup? Come on, Wolf." Panther laughed.

The lupine just gave him a nasty look, "Oh, I'm sorry, did you say you didn't want supper?", Panther immediately shook his head, and Wolf sneered, "Then put a sock in it, Casanova. Also, why were you asleep on the kitchen counter just now?"

Panther had a false look of dreariness in his features when Wolf asked him this, "Panther didn't have the energy to keep himself awake, due to this sudden lack of nourishment."

It took every effort the lupine had to refrain from hurling the empty chicken noodle soup can at the feline's head.

The Great Fox, 8:15 p.m.

It was nice to feel those strong, masculine, furry arms around her, Krystal thought. The cerulean vixen was currently gazing at the splendor of space through the window of her and Fox's room, while Fox McCloud lay there with his eyes shut, not sleeping however, and still embracing the girl of his dreams.

Rubbing her hand across the gold/bronze furred arm, Krystal gave a pleasured smile, and turned around, giving Fox a light kiss on the snout, sighing as she opened her mouth, "Hey, is everything good to go for our mission tomorrow?"

Fox's pupils visibly shrank and he suddenly rolled out of bed, silently cursing his carelessness, and giving off a yelp as he accidentally whacked his foot on his dresser.

Meanwhile, on the Great Fox's bridge...

Falco gave off a whine, and put his hand-held video game console down on the table in front of him, after receiving a Game Over. After (you guessed it) folding his arms over his chest, he looked over at Peppy, who was sitting in his chair while calmly reading a novel, a small cup of tea off to his side.

"Well, I'm glad to see _you_ having a good time, Peppy." The avian remarked, sarcasm dripping from his mouth like a pot of over-boiling water.

Peppy sighed irritably, and fixed Falco with a glare, "Well, Falco, you shouldn't be playing games anyway, we've got a mission tomorrow, have we not?". Falco realized the hare was correct, and he'd kinda forgotten about it, although he wasn't sure how he could have.

"Hey, you're right, old man! So, where's Fox then? He should be here... " Falco then remembered why the vulpine and vixen were absent.

The bird chuckled lightly, "Oh, right. Well, he still needs to get his tail here."

And that's exactly what Fox intended to do, "_Man, Peppy's gonna give me a verbal spanking for this, and Falco..._ " Fox wasn't able to continue this thought as a pair of wonderfully familiar eyes infiltrated his line of vision.

"K-Krys... um..." Fox stuttered, "_Fox. Calm down..._ " a feminine, accented voice pervaded his thoughts.

The vulpine blinked for a few seconds, before the light bulb clicked on in his mind, and he inwardly kicked himself for failing to remember the vixen's telepathy.

Fox nervously grinned, "Oh, right, sorry Krys. I should never have allowed this to happen, though; I love you... but, I must not let it distract me from my work like this. It wasn't your fault in any way, but I..." a light blue, furry digit rested on Fox's lips.

"Fox, don't worry so much. You're a great commander, and you deserve a rest every now and then, and I'm sure the General and Star Wolf would agree, well, for the most part." Krystal added as she remembered Wolf's opinion of her lover. "Now, go do what you must do, but take a deep breath first.

Fox did as he was told, exhaling almost in relief. He turned and smiled at Krystal, "Thank you, Krys, now... " he took her delicate hand in his, "Let's go take care of business."

Corneria City, 9:03 p.m.

"So... what do you think, Ashley?"

The scarlet collie looked at Damien, smiling at the black wolf, "I think... I may be helping you with that English project after all, Damien!" she exclaimed.

Ashley continued to stare admiringly at the handwriting of her "hero", formulating a plan to print and laminate this. The female canine was still partially amazed that her friend had managed to cross paths with the 'one and only' Wolf O'Donnel, and actually got a signature out of him! But, she wasn't about to question her immense luck, or his.

Damien yawned wide and stretched, "Well Ashley, I think I'll be heading on home now. Make sure to email me a copy of Wolf's signature, okay?"

Ashley stared at him, "But... I thought you weren't gonna show it, or sell it online?"

The teenage lupine snorted, "Ashley. I'm going to keep this to me, and me alone, alright? I just want us both to have this great memento." Damien smiled and waved, "I'll see you tomorrow, kay?"

Because of her crimson fur, it was impossible to see, but Ashley smiled and blushed, also waving.

"Goodnight Damien, and thank you!" She heard him shout "You're welcome!", then the black wolf disappeared from her sight.

The Great Fox, 9:12 p.m.

"Everyone knows what the plan is? Okay, good, we all meet here tomorrow morning, seven o'clock sharp, right?" After receiving nods of conformation, and Falco grumbling, Fox said "Great, Star Fox is dismissed." and gave a salute.

Slippy approached the vulpine as he left the podium, "All the Arwings have been prepped for the mission tomorrow, Fox."

"That's good, thanks Slip." Fox nodded to his amphibian wing-mate, and Slippy left.

Fox looked at Krystal, just in time to see her plow into him. After recovering from the 'assault', Fox got up, laughing. "Heh, _some_one's in a good mood, yes?", Krystal playfully patted his muzzle, getting a snicker out of him. "I just... have a good feeling about tomorrow, Fox! I mean, hey, any mission where I don't have Panther hitting on me is bound to be good, isn't it? I'm sure you'd slug the guy if he tried to hit on your fiancé." she smirked.

Fox couldn't help but laugh with Krystal, the more he thought about what she said, the more he agreed with those words. "You got that right, Krystal." Then he yawned a big yawn, and checked the time.

"I don't know about you, Krys, but I'm heading off to bed." The vulpine stated with half-closed eye lids. Krystal followed him, "I have to agree with you, Fox." she yawned, "I'm pretty tired, myself.". Fox then turned to her, and spoke in a low voice, "Well, you're right about the 'pretty' part." he winked, and the vixen giggled.

Sargasso Station, 6:43 a.m.

Wolf's sole eye snapped open as his alarm clock began shrieking it's ear-splitting, and annoyingly repetitive 'BEEP!".

Nearly hammering the 'Snooze' button, Wolf brought an arm out and shut the alarm off. Whipping the bead sheet off of himself and having the cold morning air practically chill him to the bone, he swung his legs out and his feet landed on the floor with a dull 'thud'. "_Thank the creator for my fur, without it I'm sure I'd be a popsicle._" he grumbled.

Sauntering into the kitchen, Wolf lazily put a couple pieces of bread into their toaster, and turned the coffee machine on.

After taking a sip of the searing hot, caffeinated drink, Wolf brought out a seat for himself at the counter, and rested his head in his arms, waiting for the caffeine to kick in.

Author: Well, Krystal and Fox are obviously enjoying being together, and their mission is going to start very soon. What about Bill, you say? I'm not telling you! Well, I won't tell you, but it **will** be revealed how he fits into all of this, in the incoming chapter... Well, so long, and don't do drugs! PUT THAT NEEDLE DOWN, I SAY!

... I said nothing.


	15. The Wheels Have Begun To Turn

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Here are some moar unimportant words from le author: Okay, so Star Fox and Star Wolf doing a mission together, ain't that swell, but, what aboot Bill, right? Well, keep your shirts on, don't impregnate Britney Spears (WTF?), and tune into this chapter, unless you don't feel like it. Here y'all go:

Sargasso Station, 6:52 a.m.

Panther's nose was still twitching slightly as he entered the kitchen, seeing Wolf's head lying almost motionless on the counter he spoke, "I do say, dear captain, the smell of burnt toast is sure to wake up any soul."

Wolf's head suddenly rose at this, "What? Burnt toast?" he turned to see a small waft of smoke rising from the toaster, "Ah heck, who left the toaster on high again!?" the lupine rushed to the toaster and pressed the 'cancel' button on the side, seeing his overly crispy toast pop up.

Wolf was looking forward to some nice, warm toast to start his day with, so he was slightly agitated with what had happened. Fighting the urge to growl though, Wolf simply sighed and sunk his teeth in the toasted toast.

The Great Fox, 7:13 a.m.

Fox could hear Falco taking a shower, so he impatiently knocked on the door, "Hurry it up, Falco, we're leaving soon!"

After grumbling to himself the avian was forced to answer, "Yeah, yeah, I'll be with you guys in a few, McCloud!"

Fox sighed as he entered the docking bay, seeing the rest of his team, "Well, it's good to see you're all here, but we aren't leaving until a certain feathered pain in the neck-er... until Falco makes himself "presentable"." A few snickers were heard after their commander's comment.

Slippy scratched beneath his cap, "So, Star Wolf knows the plan, right? Where we're meeting, and when we'll be meeting?"

Fox nodded in affirmation, "Yes, Wolf chose where we'd meet, and I accepted, so, once Falco's out here we'll be heading to the asteroid belt just north of Corneria, also I just re-" Fox's little speech was momentarily halted as Falco strode into the docking bay. Fox rolled his eyes and smirked, "Ah, there's the winged terror now, so as I was saying... I just received word that Bill will also be joining us with this mission, as everything is A-okay in Katina right now, and their whole military is on temporary hold. Now, let's get going team Star Fox!" And everyone eagerly climbed into the cockpits of their respective Arwings.

"_Alright, finally some action! Even if I have to be cooperating with Powalski... Not fighting on a regular basis is scientifically proven to bore a person out of their skulls. And by "scientifically proven" I mean that I completely made that up." _Falco was ready to kick some tail, "Alright McCloud... " the bird whispered, "...Let's go already!"

After hearing Falco's rant, Krystal rolled her eyes and shut the canopy of her Arwing, and spoke into her headset, "Alright Fox, I'm ready."

Sighing contentedly after hearing his lover's assuringly soothing voice, McCloud spoke to all his wing mates confidently, "Alright, let's rock n' roll!" One by one, the Arwings sped out of the hangar, leaving a trail of blue exhaust in the blackness of space.

Corneria Elementary School, 8:30 a.m.

Damien was just grabbing his books out of his locker for the upcoming class, when he felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking behind him, he saw his friend Jacob resting his arm on the wolf's shoulder.

Damien offered a small smile, "Hey Jake, did Ashley invite you to her Birthday party? I'm going."

The ocelot raised an eyebrow, "Ashley's got a Birthday comin'? Well, why'd she invite you and not me, I'm her friend, right?" Jacob almost looked hurt.

Damien shut his locker and looked at his friend, "Hey, hey! That party's not 'till the weekend; I'm sure she'll invite you. I can't see her bringing me and leaving you behind, Jake." The young lupine then beckoned his friend (who already had his books) to follow him to Math class.

Jacob decided to make conversation on the way to their class, though he had to talk in a slightly louder tone of voice because of all the other students who were out and about. "Hey Damien, you know Wolf O'Donnell, right? Well, rumor has it that he was spotted on Corneria, in a shopping mall!"

The wolf kept on walking and hid a smirk when his friend told him the news, but put on a false look of surprise, "Wow, really? That'd be cool, indeed!" Jacob wasn't sure what his friend had meant, "Uh, what would be cool, Damien?"

"Well, it'd be cool to meet him, of course!" The wolf casually answered.

Jacob grinned nervously; he was a little embarrassed that he didn't pick up on that, "Oh, right, that it would be! I also heard that Wolf's team is gonna help Star Fox with an investigation. Cool, huh?"

Damien however, had not known about this yet, "Huh... yes, that _would_ be cool."

Asteroid Belt, 8:41 a.m.

Fox and crew had arrived where the two teams were supposed to meet when out of seemingly nowhere a familiar, gruff voice got his attention.

"Well pup, better late than never, I guess..." Wolf had to grin at this, as he knew how much the famous leader of the Star Fox team hated tardiness.

Fox suppressed a snarl and answered the lupine's jest, "I know for a fact that I showed up on time, O'Donnel, and that you're simply trying to make me lose my cool, but if you know what's good for you, you won't be trying something like that again!" As Fox finished his statement he let loose a warning laser to show Wolf that he meant business.

"FOX!!" The unified shout of Bill and Krystal brought an end to the vulpine's drama.

Fox could understand Krystal reprehending his actions, but Bill? "Er, sorry Krystal, and... Bill?"

Bill allowed a small chuckle to escape his muzzle, "Sorry Fox, but I can't let you get away with such childish behavior when we have a mission demanding our attention."

Fox could hear Krystal giggling, and decided to give it up, even though Wolf started it. "You're right, Bill... let's get back to business, so Wolf, you guys know what to do. So, seeing as we're all here, we can head out, come on!"

"Just hold on a sec, pup." Wolf wasn't moving at all, "We already saw something on the way here that looked quite out of place, and I'm betting that if we go there we'll find out a thing or two."

This time Falco butted in, "Well if it's so 'out of place', then why hasn't it been discovered yet?"

"Well, bird, it happens to be cloaked and Wolf's eyepiece allowed him to easily see it." Leon hissed at Falco, to which the avian just snorted and crossed his arms at the chameleon's remark; he never liked it when his 'rival' was right.

Corneria City, JPP Boulevard, 9:15 a.m.

General Pepper was returning from a meeting in his limousine, a meeting where he was explaining Star Fox's and Star Wolf's actions, and of course, what would be done if Synddin did happen to have a slough of followers ready to loyally attempt to carry on what was put at a standstill.

The General used his time in the limo to ponder over this, shortly, "_I wish I knew more about this Synddin character, but, I'm willing to bet that he had some run-in with Star Fox a few times in the past._" As the General was throwing around some thoughts in his mind, he arrived at his headquarters.

Pepper snapped out of his thoughts as the vehicle hovered to a stop and he gazed up the towering building where his office was situated.

The door opened and the General stepped out, thanking the driver, who gave the General a rather firm salute before he climbed back into the driver's seat, and drove off.

"Well, this is one thing we know for certain, Synddin Calsiér is after the Star Fox team, and he doesn't think prison will stop him from achieving his goal." The general whispered this to himself as he entered the elaborate skyscraper.

The Great Wolf, 9:42 a.m.

Wolf was relaxing in the luxurious captain's chair in the bridge, "_Sigh... it's about time we had our own ship, it's been __**way**__ too long since I've been in a chair this comfortable. This is even better than the chair in Sargasso's surveillance room, I'm sure even the Great Fox isn't this nice._"

Wolf was too far in relaxation to notice Panther waltzing in with a certain female feline with fur of a similar shade to Panther's under his arm, a wide grin of his own plastered upon those cat-ish lips of his.

The sight made Wolf quietly chuckle and shake his head, "Well, Miss Milson, it's good to see you two off to such a good start, just remember... we're on a mission. Right, Panther?"

At the mention of his name the cat stopped stroking his whiskers and looked at the wolf, "Oh... yes commander. You don't need to worry about us at all. The beautiful Miss and I will not let our 'romance' intrude into any mission-related affairs, that you can be assured of." Panther finished in a suave tone, gaining a short giggle from the other feline.

"_Oh, for the love of Pete._" Wolf thought, but kept his semi-approving stature.

Author: Man, I almost want to smack myself for not updating in such a insanely atrocious amount of time. Anyhow, Leon and Falco haven't ripped each other to shreds yet, and Fox and Wolf still have both their heads still on their shoulders. I'm sure Bill appreciates comin' along, with all the free time he's attained at the moment, he'd probably be doing some... improper things were he not a part of this mission. Anywho, blow the dust off of that 'review' button, and show me some reviews! Well, I'm not gonna force you guys to respond, just do whatever you'd like to do. If you'd like to scream my head off for wasting the last five or ten (or however long it took you to read this) minutes of your life with my messed up fanfic, then please go bury yourself in the backyard. Kidding, kidding, see y'all!


	16. The Katt's 'Meow?

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Here's some more yapping from the Masta of Pasta (A.K.A. the author): So, Fox and Wolf are still both alive, well, I reckon Bill's keeping them from duking it out. Wow, I'm SO horrid for making such poor progress, but alas, here is the next chapter:

The Great Wolf, 10:03 a.m.

"You gotta love how we are up here repairing a broken brake circuit while Panther is down there romancing that girl of his." Grumbled a certain lupine captain.

Leon was paying attention to his commander's whining, but didn't answer. Instead, the chameleon just handed Wolf the new circuit after reshaping it for more officiant use.

Leon always did have a knack for mechanics, whether it be for a space fighter or a toaster, so Slippy was grateful when his similar colored 'ally' understood the toad's gibberish when one of Fox's Arwing's G-diffusers acted up the other day.

Overall, the two teams were getting accustomed to socializing with each other, and fewer spats resulted from this, although Falco was still a bit peeved at Leon for asking him about his relationship with Katt.

Sargasso Station, 11:38 a.m.

Some of Sargasso's inhabitants still thought it was funny that the Cornerian General had to call them to get the comm. frequency of The Great Wolf. He was, after all, the one who employed them for this mission, so you'd expect him to already have that information.

But a certain female lupine was too concerned with another matter to be laughing.

Just recently, a rogue mercenary, Kinsira Poteck, decided to call Sargasso Station her new home, partially to evade some... displeased individuals who happened to be friends of a worker who accidentally died in the explosion of a black market facility hidden on Macbeth, an explosion she caused.

She was a dark brown wolf, with long, black hair. As far as everyone else was concerned she was just another nobody lacking a proper home, but she had managed to grab Wolf's attention soon enough, and decide to plague herself with worrying about him, and she even went as far to contact him during a mission!

Wolf, at first, was somewhat irritated by her, but later found himself kind of liking the attention, although he refused to ever tell her he'd sometimes stare at her when manning the surveillance room...

The Great Fox, 12: 26 p.m.

"Hey Falco, have you seen Bill in here?" Fox asked the avian, while scratching his head.

Falco was busy watching a program about horrible pilots in Corneria, but had stopped paying attention at some point, and was currently trying to remember where Bill said he was going.

"Yeah, um..." the bird gently whacked his head with an outstretched hand (wing?), "Yeah, Bill said he was going to take a shower. We're heading to Fortuna in a couple of hours, right Foxie?"

Fox rolled his eyes, but gave an affirming nod, "Yes, Falco."

Falco moved his neck left to right, resulting in a loud *CRACK*, and Falco opened his beak to say something, but froze when he saw Katt leaning against a bookshelf.

"Hey angel!" She beamed when Falco laid eyes on her.

At first he could not speak, but when Falco's shock subsided he managed to splutter out "KATT!? What in Lylat are you doing here?!"

CCC, Cornerian Correction Center (prison), 12:59 p.m.

Trying to devour some weird dish he hoped was actual food, a familiar dark red raccoon was grumbling about his cell-mate who was singing some depressing love song at the top of his lungs, and horribly out of key.

Finally, Synddin had had enough of this fellow's racket and went to approach the hound about it.

"Look" Synddin rolled up his sleeves, glaring at the hound who had stopped singing, "Either you shut your trap, or I permanently close that windpipe, buddy."

The raccoon didn't look like a pushover as far as strength went, so the hound was content to stop his singing, for the moment. So, he attempted to start a conversation with his prison mate.

"Hey dude, uh, they said some things about you when they brought you in, and I was wondering, were any of those things true? 'Cause some of what they said sounded kinda far fetched to me."

Synddin turned to face the canine, and smirked, "Well, just what did they say?"

The Great Wolf, 1:22 p.m.

"I'm telling you, commander, we were both keeping a sharp eye on the refrigeration unit, and there's no explanatory reason as to why we're suddenly out of milk... " Panther explained in his suave tone of voice.

Wolf wasn't terribly pleased; he has to get more of the calcium-enriched fluid every three or four days, and it's become even worse having two panthers on board. But he wasn't too worried, 'cause the denari that would roll into Star Wolf's bank account after this mission would more than cover the cost of it.

Wolf heard a shrill beeping noise all of a sudden, and grabbed his communicator, an air of annoyance around him.

"Yes?" He lazily answered, trying to keep his temper under control.

"Hey, Wolf? I finally got a hold of you! Wow, so... how's the mission going?" A dark brown lupine's visage appeared on the little screen on Wolf's communicator.

Wolf silently thanked the afore mentioned deity for his fur, again, as it pretty much prevented Kinsira from seeing his mild blush, but Wolf wasn't as cowardly as that Fox! He was actually quite good at speaking to attractive females, although it was kind of hard for him to have a pleasant conversation with one, even when he liked them. One could blame his personality for that.

"Oh, hi Kinsira. Yeah, everything's going fairly smooth on our end, and we're going to head to Fortuna soon." Wolf replied casually.

"That's great, Wolf, and thank you for letting me live here." The she-wolf offered a small smile, which made Wolf offer a puny grin in return, but it was big enough for Kinsira to see, "Hey, you needed a safe place to hide and live your life in general peace, and I had no choice but to oblige, you know?" Wolf calmly stated, to which the brown lupine grinned yet again.

"Yes Wolf, and I thank you for that, Kinsira, out."

Wolf failed to hide a smile as he put his communicator back on his belt, but quickly returned to his regular expression as he saw Panther approaching."

The Great Fox, 1:35 p.m.

"You act like you're not even remotely pleased to see me, Falco." Katt offered in a whiny tone of voice.

Falco massaged his temple with his feathery fingers, "Come on, you should know better than to say that. I just had no idea that I'd be seeing you, here and now, Katt."

"Well... " Katt (somewhat) pouted, "When Fox asked me for my assistance, and reminded me of that favor I said I owed him, I just had to, don't you see?"

Falco's eyes widened a little, "Wait, Fox _asked_ you to come?!"

The pink feline raised an eyebrow, "I thought you already knew that, hon. Well anyways, yes he did, and of course, I..." Katt smirked, "... knew you'd be so awfully lonely were I not here with you."

Falco crossed his arms (once again), "_Humph. I'm going to have to pound Foxie's head into the floor next time I see him._"

"I sure hope you aren't serious, Falco." A familiar female, accented voice sounded from behind the bird.

Falco winced; as much as he was used to Krystal's telepathy, he was always caught off-guard when she used it against him. The light blue vixen didn't particularly like invading the minds of her friends, but Falco's comment just couldn't go ignored, not in her books at least.

"Aw, you know I was just kidding, Krys..." The bird said in his defense.

Krystal's frown turned into a small smirk, "Yes, I know that, Falco. Because you wouldn't ever dare to lay a single feather on my fiancé, would you?"

This got Katt to snicker, "Ha ha, leave it to you, Krystal, heh. And it's good to see you again." Katt said, extending a furry, pink hand, which Krystal grasped with her own.

"Hey, Katt! Glad you could make it. Fox even got Bill to come along, and we're teamed up with... Star Wolf."

Katt let out a surprised gasp, "...Star Wolf? Fox didn't mention that earlier, but I'm sure everything will be explained to me later on, right?

Falco nodded, "Yeah, once Fox and Bill get here, all will be explained, and I'll have to grab Slippy too, but he's probably still playing with the G-diffuser Fox 'wrecked'."

Author: Before anyone complains aboot a lack of action in this chapter, well, just don't, alright? Things are still coming together, as you can see, so be patient, or I'll sic the evil monkey on you! So, Bill AND Katt, eh? Things are starting to get interesting, are they not? As usual, please read and review, and stick around for the seventeenth chapter, well, if you want to, Adios!


	17. I'm Not Trying To Clog The Gears

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

I'm-a gonna say some more fic-related things: Well, one thing that I hope this chapter has more of is 'Action: Read all about it!'. Well, Star Fox brought a couple of their friends along, and Panther can no longer hit on Krystal (Unless he wants Fox to insert one of his combat boots in Panther's rear). Will Fox and Krystal find time for themselves during this mission? Will Wolf and Fox have a death match? I guess y'all just hafta read on, yes? Well, here you are then:

The Great Fox, 1:36 p.m.

"Yeah, sorry for not explaining it all when I called you, Katt, but er... something else was needing my attention..." Fox's cheeks appeared to take on a slight red shade as his eyes connected with Krystal's own, but only for a moment.

The corner of Katt's mouth quirked up, into a smirk, "Oh, it's fine, Fox. As long as you give me all the details _before_ I go in there with you guys."

Fox nodded, "Yes, well, I didn't plan on leaving you in the dark, Katt. So I'll just give a quick recap of what we're doing next, and answer any questions you have after it. Alright?"

"Sure thing, Foxie, go right on ahead!" the pink feline cheerfully answered.

"_She's been spending waaay too much time with Falco._" the vulpine lightly shook his head before continuing. "Alright, so we're heading to Katina tomorrow morning at approx. 7:00. We will meat Star Wolf there and divide into four different groups, at which point we'll begin to search the planet for any pieces of evidence that can help tell us just what Syndinn and his followers were planning before that filthy raccoon was dumped into the Cornerian Prison. According to the higher authorities at Katina, Syndinn and his crew performed quite a few 'activities' while on Katina, so it's a safe bet we'll find some helpful information."

Fox put his pointer down, seeing as Katt was the only one present in the Great Fox's bridge, where he was relaying the information on tomorrow's mission, the golden-orange vulpine turned his head towards her. "So, any questions, comments, or concerns?"

Katt was just going through the plans in her head, when one question sprang to mind. "Say Fox, I meant to ask you earlier... How did Wolf's team get involved with this, and why are they helping out?"

The golden-hued fox saw this question coming from miles away, but was still a tad bit nervous about his explanation.

"Um... well, you see... "

The Great Wolf, 2:18 p.m.

"Yes Panther, if you actually looked at a carton before just helping yourself to it's contents, you'd probably see how my name is always on one, and that you are _not_ to touch it!" Wolf was bothered by Panther's actions, and wanted to ensure that they would NEVER be repeated... on his ship at least."

"Ah, forgive Panther, Wolf, for he failed to notice this; it is guaranteed not to happen again." Panther then brought out a rose while purring softly.

"_Oh good grief._" Wolf let out a sigh of exasperation.

"That's good Panther..." the grey, almost silver furred lupine said, "...'Cause I'll make you fly out and get more milk with **your** own denari if it does." Wolf snarled, then turned on his heel to exit the living area of the Great Wolf.

Try as he might, the commander of Star Wolf was unable to remove Kinsira from his mind, "...girls are a dime a dozen, right?" the lupine whispered to himself, "But... Kinsira has such a lustrous coat, and her body is so beautifully proportioned, and I can't even remember a female ever going as far as calling me during a mission just to say "hi". She's something else, and I just might end up falling fo-..."

"Whispering to ourself are we, Wolf?" The lupine heard a scratchy voice ask. It was like nails to a chalkboard, yet, not as irritating.

Wolf was a bit startled by Leon's presence, but didn't let it show.

"Yeah Leon, I was just mumbling about something Panther did... " the lupine quickly changed the subject, "Is there something I can do for you, Leon? Or did you just feel like showing up out of nowhere?"

The chameleon lightly exhaled in slight annoyance, "Can't a wingman greet his captain?"

"I hardly call _that_ a greeting, Leon." Wolf quipped.

The chameleon had no response for this, so he decided to get to the point. "Right, well I just wanted to remind you that you're making dinner tonight, and I can't be responsible for my actions if I see chicken noodle soup in the menu again, so be more creative, will you?"

The lupine scratched the back of his neck absently. "Yeah, yeah, I'll whip up something different, Leon; your taste buds will not be bored, and all that jazz... " Wolf sighed impatiently.

Leon let off a barely noticeable grin in triumph. "Good to hear, Wolf, and I'm sure you'll do a fine job."

CCC, Cornerian Correction Center (prison), 3:26 p.m.

"I'm telling you, that raccoon dude we brought in, he is a total $*#&! I went in there to bring him his dinner you see? He didn't want it at first, but then reluctantly took it, while spewing insults at me." Fensten was in a fairly rotten mood at the moment, although he was putting **some** effort into controlling his anger.

"Well Fensten, would you rather have him locked away in here, being a tremendous pain in the you know what, or out there, plotting destruction against the very city you live in?" the collie asked his fuming pal.

After cooling off, the otter realized his mild-mannered friend was right about the situation. "You know Rube? You really know how to speak logically about things."

Rubezo smirked. "Hey, I'm just telling you how I see it."

The Great Fox, 3:58 p.m.

"...And that's what happened, Katt." Fox ended with a nod, waiting to see if the feline was satisfied with the explanation.

Katt nodded slowly. "Yeah... okay, I'm glad that's all settled then. Thank you, Fox! Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go give Falco all the attention he deserves." Katt gave Fox a sly wink after she said this.

Fox raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. As Katt exited the bridge, he hollered, "Whatever you do, make sure he's left in shape for tomorrow's mission!"

"Well, now that that's over..." Fox began, rolling up to the main computer terminal in his padded captain's chair. The light-chestnut furred vulpine began typing, but stopped all of a sudden. "...Alright Slippy, _now_ what'd you do to this thing?" He rubbed his temple with his right hand, sighing a bit.

***

"I already told you it was nice that you're helping out, Katt. What more do you want or expect?" Falco rolled his eyes as he was sitting on the couch, watching a show which featured some guy yapping about his customized aircraft, the avian was barely paying attention to the program anyways.

"Well..." Katt grumbled.

"Well...?" Falco asked the pink feline.

Katt glared at the bird, "I dunno, give me a hug, a kiss on the cheek, heck, you could have GREETED me! That would have been nice, you know?"

"What?! I..." Falco could hardly believe this woman. "...What are saying, Katt?! I _did_ greet you, after my initial shock faded of course..." Falco nervously tugged the collar of his shirt.

The feline gave him a look. "Give me a break, Falco, you asked what I was doing here! You didn't say "hi" or anything!" Katt sighed. "Look, why don't we settle this the easy way?"

Falco raised a feathery eyebrow. "Erm... what's the 'easy' way, Katt?"

An evil grin was plastered on the cat's face. "Well, you see... " Katt began, she then placed one of her hands on the avian's left shoulder. "You remember that bet you made last time we met?"

"Um... " Falco had completely forgotten. Needless to say, he was screwed.

Clayston Library, Corneria, 4:22 p.m.

"I thought you didn't like reading books, Damien... Or are you studying up?" the red canine walked to up to Damien, causing the wolf to quickly turn around in surprise with a gasp.

"A-Ashley! Whoah, I mean... I didn't expect to see you here... " the lupine blushed a bit in embarrassment. "...Not like I didn't want to see you here, I just thought that you, er." the wolf stopped as he saw the crimson collie giggling.

"...And just what is so funny?" Damien shyly asked.

Ashley wiped a tear from her eye, "You should see yourself sometimes, Damien! Anyway, I thought you knew I worked here?"

The black wolf's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "R-Really?! Wow! I did not know that!" Damien's shock was evident as his eyes were still wide. "_I can't believe my luck! I come here to study up on my chemistry, and I run into...her!_"

Damien could hardly believe his luck.

Author: So I feel kinda rotten for (once again) waiting to long 'til I posted this chapter, but working through writer's block will be my excuse. XD And also, I would like to thank Metallic Soul for helping me de-crapify this chapter, and for being an awesome friend! ^_^ So, please review, even if you thought cow dung had more flavor than this chapter, and remember... crystal meth won't help you with nothin'! Latah!


	18. Calm And Cool

**Peace In Lylat, And Good Will To Star Fox**

Written by: _Pasta Masta_

Yep, some more annoying words from the author: Yay, I didn't wait forever until posting THIS chapter. ^^ *Chalks up anotha point for himself* Heh heh... Anywho! If anyone thinks Damien and Ashley are a pointless little 'romance', think again! And for those of you who are getting a bit whiny aboot the speed of this plot, just stop being so impatient! :p Well, here's the next chapter, y'all:

The Great Fox, 8:43 p.m.

Katt grinned mischievously. "So you _do_ remember, huh?"

The avian nervously coughed. "Katt, that bet was a joke, ya know? Y-you can't seriously think I meant it, do you?" The avian broke out in a light sweat. He never should have said it in the first place.

The feline giggled. "I wasn't joking when I accepted, hon." She purred as Falco quickly jumped up from the couch.

"Whoa, whoa, hold it! Katt!" Falco shouted as he held up his hands in front him.

***

"Yes Peppy, we're heading out tomorrow. We'll go along with Katt and Bill, and..." The light chestnut furred vulpine cleared his throat, "...Star Wolf."

Then a loud *squawk* and a big crash was heard, causing Fox to wince slightly, lowering his left ear. The old hare also heard the commotion, and chuckled slightly. "It sounds like Falco is glad to see Katt again, don't you think, Fox?"

Fox nervously laughed. "Uh, yeah...it sure does."

The vulpine then turned to Slippy. "Say Slip, have you got that microwave fixed yet?"

The amphibian was busy typing at his laptop, eyes lazily glued to the screen. "Yeah, yeah. It's all fixed, Fox."

"Good, 'cause I haven't had dinner yet, and a couple hot pizza turnovers sound real good to me at the moment."

The Great Wolf, 10:25 p.m.

The lupine captain was lying in his bed, waiting for sleep to take over him, but there was a certain... individual who refused to leave his mind.

"Kinsira," Wolf whispered. The lupine found the situation somewhat laughable. A female never meant this much to him, and he wasn't too sure why. He had met quite a few attractive females of his species in his days as Star Wolf's captain, but only now had one truly taken a grip on his heart, and he hadn't said much to her either! All of a sudden, Wolf got the strangest idea; the grey-furred lupine very much wished to see Kinsira's face again, and he was certain he wouldn't be falling asleep until he was able to see it. He slowly brought out his communicator, and dialed it to her frequency.

"_Oh please pick up, Kinsira, please be awake,_" The lupine wordlessly pleaded. And so he waited... many seconds until, "Hello?"

Wolf's heart nearly leaped out his chest when he heard her soft voice, but he tried to calm himself down and appear calm and cool, which was a little difficult as her visage showed up on his communicator's screen. Lightly clearing his throat, the lupine calmly spoke into the voice chip. "Ah, good evening Kinsira. I'm lucky to have gotten a hold of you so late like this, and I apologize if I caught you while going to sleep."

The wolf sweetly smiled and shook her head. "Nonsense, Wolf. It's great to see and hear from you, how are you doing out there?"

Wolf blinked a few times. "Uhh... I, along with my team are doing fine. How about you, Kinsira?"

Kinsira's smile did not fade in the least, if anything, it grew. "I'm doing great, Wolf! Yeah, I'm going to head to bed soon, but I'm glad you called me, in truth, I was actually hoping to call you." The female lupine giggled softly. 'Twas music to Wolf's ears.

"Wow, huh...well, I guess...you have yourself a good night, Kinsira." Wolf genuinely smiled at the she wolf, not just a fake smile, but a warm-hearted one that wasn't forced out.

Kinsira smiled back. "You too, Wolf, good night." and the call ended, leaving a quite happy Wolf in bed, once again by himself. This time however, he found sleep in no less than five minutes.

The Great Fox, 8:23 a.m.

There was a shrill beeping sound as Fox McCloud lazily blinked himself awake, and he quickly swung out his right arm and turned the alarm off, quietly yawning as he brought his arm back to wake up Krystal.

"_She's so beautiful...it's so hard to disturb her in her sleep; she looks so peaceful, but it must be done._" After frowning slightly, the vulpine rested his muzzle on the blue vixen's head, smiling a bit, then began to whisper her name in her ear, slowly increasing volume until Krystal awoke, blinking the blurriness out of her (In Fox's opinion) beautiful turquoise eyes. The cerulean vixen then smiled lightly. "Good morning, Fox."

Fox could hardly resist that soft, slightly accented voice of Krystal's; it always warmed his heart just to hear it, so he sighed in content. "Good morning to you too, Krys." The vulpine then lowered his head and playfully licked the vixen's nose, getting a short giggle out of her in return. "Oh Fox." Krystal gave Fox a little peck on the lips before yawning and getting out of bed.

Fox was grinning from the vixen's kiss. "So Krys. Are you feeling feeling ready for today's mission?"

Krystal smiled and giggled. "I've just woken up Fox. I couldn't really tell you right now, but I think I'll handle today just fine." The vixen smiled sweetly. "How about you, Fox?"

The vulpine captain grinned cheerily. "Well, I'm feeling pretty good! I'm still a bit skeptical about working with Star Wolf, but I'm pretty sure thing's will work out fine, as long as that Wolf stops messing with me..." The vulpine then pouted like a child, folding his arms and huffing. Krystal found this quite amusing.

"My my, Fox... you know... you should consider that Wolf likes to tease you because he knows it gets to you. So ideally, you could end it." Krystal nodded.

The vulpine nodded at the vixen's words, seeing the obvious truth in them. "I...I think you're right, Krys, thanks." Fox smiled as he walked into the washroom to have a shower.

"Of course I'm right..." Krystal smirked, then laughed, "...And you're welcome, Fox."

Corneria Elementary school, 8:31 a.m.

The young black lupine was bringing out his necessary mathematic books for his next class, snapping a salute to the laminated photo of his lupine hero before closing his locker door. After he closed the locker though, he saw the ever so familiar face of Mr. Petenny, an old brown hare, staring coldly at him. Damien knew why he was receiving this glare as his ears flattened against his head, and he smiled innocently.

"So Damien..." The old rabbit started in a baritone voice. "You don't think I've forgotten about yesterday, do you?"

"Ummm... well, I..." The wolf was thinking of what he could say to save his skin from Mr. Petenny, when he remembered. "Oh yes, well, now... that wasn't me who shot that spitball onto your forehead, Mr. Petenny. Even though there was a straw sitting in front of me after the fact... I was framed, you see? You know I'd never do such a thing." The wolf widened his smile, hoping that the brown hare would buy the story and let him go free.

"I know you wouldn't, and that's why I'm so surprised, but... who'd do that to you?" The rabbit asked.

"Oh, uh..." The young lupine thought for a moment. "...Right, you know those kids, Thomas and Bernard right?" After receiving a nod the wolf continued. "Well, they always like to bug me whenever they can, and get me into trouble however possible, plus they sit on either side of me in chemistry, so you see...?"

Mr. Petenny slowly nodded as he saw the sense in Damien's words, and he sighed. "Very well Damien, I'll go have a nice little talk with those two, and you can continue on with your day. I'll see you this afternoon." With that, the hare nodded once again, and strode off.

Damien momentarily rested against his locker, sighing and wiping his furry brow in relief. "Well, _that_ was a close call. Mr. Petenny almost caught me!"

"But you said you were innocent, Damien." A soft voice came from seemingly nowhere, causing the lupine to almost leap out of his fur.

After his heart started to slow it's pace, Damien looked over to where the comment came from, gazing upon a red-furred, female collie who seemed to be in the middle of a giggling fit.

"Ha, sorry to have scared you, Damien! To be honest, you look kinda cute when you're frightened..." The canine softly added, and this statement brought a massive blush to the midnight-colored wolf, not terribly noticeable through his dark fur, but still noticeable, and it caused Ashley to stifle another laugh.

"Uhh... right, well..." Damien cleared his throat, "...W-what was that you were saying, Ashley?"

The crimson canine suddenly frowned a bit. "It sounded like you lied to Mr. Petenny back there Damien, and I think you should come clean." The collie put a hand on her hip, which accented her displeasure.

The young lupine hung his head a bit and sighed. "Dang, you caught me, Ashley, well... I'll tell him at the next break, as math class is about to start."

Ashley brought Damien's chin up with her index finger. "Hey, don't feel so rotten, Damien; most people wouldn't be able to admit their faults so easily, well..." Ashley softly blushed. "...I'll ......I'll make it up to you, later. Anyway, I'm off to my physical education class, so I'll catch you around!" The collie waved, and then walked off.

The black wolf was mildly blushing as he watched Ashley go to her next class, but the bright ringing of the school's bell alerted him of his math class, and he quickly left for it.

The Great Wolf, 8:57 a.m.

Leon was busy putting together some breakfast for him and his team, but as he was flipping the pancakes the chameleon saw a few blinking red lights over to his left. Sighing in slight frustration, the green lizard walked over to the small comm. unit in their kitchen and grabbed the mic, switching it to Wolf's quarters.

"**Hey Wolf! We have a call from the Star Fox team waiting for you in the surveillance room, so hop to it! I'm making our breakfast so I can't."** Wolf loudly groaned as he heard Leon's scratchy voice over his room's intercom, and he dragged himself out of bed, his fur a bit mussed up from sleep. But he couldn't allow Fox McCloud to see him this way! Well, he assumed it was Fox, and it most likely was.

"Ugh... what a way to begin this day..." The grey lupine murmured.

Author: Aaah... young love, ain't it so shweet? Yeah, I know it is... and Star Wolf's captain also seems to have found love, keyword: seems. I apologize for getting this chapter up later than I said I would, but some unforeseen events took place, plus my body decided it was a great time to get sick! =_= But I still made okay time with this chapter, I guess. So as usual, please read and review, all ya good folks out there! And if you don't, Michael Jackson's corpse will come and molest you! Naw, but really, R & R yo.


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